The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.
It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. (John 1:35-39)
From yesterday’s reflection, we have learned that in order to hear God’s voice and discern His will more easily, we need to imitate Jesus and continuously stay awake and abide in the Father. John’s two disciples understood this clearly, and so they followed closely behind Jesus, hoping to know where He lived and stayed with Him.
Do we not also, like the two disciples, hope to discover the truth, the life direction as well as the true master of our lives, and desire to follow Him? Then we must learn from these disciples that when we have found the true God and the true master, we must be willing to give up everything and grab every opportunity to follow Him closely, with the goal of abiding with the Lord Jesus!
We should not be surprised that disciples or apprentices hope to live with their masters. That is pretty much the norm in both Eastern and Western cultures. In order to obtain as much skills and wisdom from our master, we cannot just pick up from the classroom or books but need to imitate the master. Is there a more effective and direct way of learning than living with the master?
An old saying goes: “Birds of a feather flock together – One takes on the colour of one’s company.” If we want to fully receive the entire repertoire of our Master, we need to distance ourselves from all the bad influences around us and get as close to God as possible, living within Him.
Otherwise, our enemy lurking around the corner will certainly take advantage of our weakness and incompetency to knock us down!
Therefore, as we enter the wilderness to meet God, establish a relationship with Him, and learn from Him, we not only cannot assume a utilitarian mindset, but we also need a great deal of patience and strong determination. Otherwise, we may spend our whole lives going around in circles and feeling lost.
In fact, the whole process is like the journey of vocational discernment of those who live a consecrated life. Although we are not really entering a seminary to discern our vocational calling, if we truly hope our discernment to bear fruits, we must be as serious as these religious, willing to leave everything behind, be determined to follow God alone, and persevere in seeking the call set apart for us by our Heavenly Father, the unique personal mission in our lives.
In prayer, please imagine yourself searching for the Master like what the disciples did that day. Now that you have found Him, what would you say to Him?
Today’s Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I know that You have been waiting for me to follow You and abide in You. But I often hesitate and am unwilling to give up my current lifestyle to follow the new way of life You have instructed me, and to seriously learn from You up close. Please strengthen me again, so that I can be like those two disciples who grabbed every opportunity to follow You. Lord Jesus, I am willing to follow You, please take my hand.
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