Be with Jesus.

 To Be With Jesus

To be with Jesus—

This is the sum of all things.

The destination of every promise,

the answer to every longing.

"I desire to depart and be with Christ,

which is better by far."(Philippians 1:23)

Not merely to believe in Him,

but to bewith Him.

To be in the place where His presence

is the air,the light, the substance.

It begins here, in the now.

In the quiet room of a seeking heart.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,

I will come in and eat with that person,

and they with me."(Revelation 3:20)

To be with Him is to open the door.

To share the meal.

To learn His voice in the ordinary hours.

It is to walk as Mary of Bethany,

who chose"the better part"— (Luke 10:42)

not the frenzy of service,

but the stillness at His feet.

It is to hear what He says to you,

in the middle of the crowd.

It is to stand as John did,

close enough to lean.

To rest your head against the heartbeat of heaven,

even as the storm gathers outside.(John 13:23)

To be with Him is to find your identity

not in your title,but in His affection:

"the one Jesus loves."

It is to follow, like Peter,

even when the path leads where you would not go.(John 21:18)

For to be with Jesus is not always a path of comfort,

but it is always a path of purpose.

He is with you in the furnace.(Daniel 3:25)

He is with you in the waves.(Matthew 14:27)

The promise is not removal,but companionship:

"I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(Matthew 28:20)

And one day—oh, that day—

to be with Him will mean a leaving of all shadows.

The partial will vanish before the complete.

"Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;

then we shall see face to face."(1 Corinthians 13:12)

We shall be where He is.

"Father, I want those you have given me

to be with me where I am,

and to see my glory."(John 17:24)

No more veil. No more distance.

Just the everlasting,unfolding wonder

of beingwith Him.

To see the smile in His eyes

and know it is for you.

To walk in a garden in the cool of a day that never ends,

and hear Him call you by name.

Until then, we cultivate the with-ness.

We practice His presence.

We walk,we talk, we listen, we abide.

We learn that to be with Jesus is not a location,

but a connection.

It is the vine and the branch.(John 15:5)

It is the anchor within the veil.(Hebrews 6:19)

So let this be your soul's single desire,

your prayer in the morning and your sigh at night:

To be with Jesus.

In the chaos and the quiet.

In the duty and the devotion.

Now,in the grace of His nearness,

and forever,in the glory of His home.

For this is life. This is peace. This is everything.

To be with Jesus.

Amen.