Finding Jerusalem

Throughout the life of Jesus, he always knew in the back of his mind His purpose.  He knew ultimately he was making his way to Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was the place where he would fulfill his Father's will upon the cross. 

We are not above Christ, so it stands to reason we too will have our mountains to climb, our Jerusalems that pale in comparison to that of Christ.  How do we approach these monstrosities?  For me, I would like to hit a fast forward button and not have to work through the bumps in the road.  However, it doesn't work that way.  These challenges are best faced when we mirror our Lord.  Jesus patterned his life in such a way that if we will follow his footsteps and guidance we can also keep our eyes on our Father's will and finish strong.  Some days we will feel we are on top of the world.  Our efforts to glorify Him will come easily and our hearts will be full of joy.  Some days we will feel empty as though we are living in a dark place and trying to crawl out.  No matter what, as we face each day, each battle, each victory, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and allow nothing to stand between us and our Jerusalem. 

The simplicity in this challenge is our Jerusalem never changes.  In the beginning it is Jesus and when we finish it is Jesus.  We are blessed to know He is the key to this journey.  Our mountains begin to grow when we allow them to stand between us and our Lord.  Just this morning, while I was reading, seeking to be in God's presence and draw near to him the mountains began to take form.  My thoughts became consumed with all the details of life.  It was as if a battle was taking place in my mind.  I wanted to scream for these thoughts to stop distracting me from hearing from my Father.  In that moment, I was gently reminded of Jesus and how He too sought to hear from His Father.  He would go to a quiet place and meet the Father there.  This isn't a task we should take lightly.  We should approach our time with the Lord as if it is a battle.  We need to seek Him wholeheartedly, pushing out the distractions and cares of our lives.  Taking this time with Him serious is a must!  If these distractions stand between us and the Lord, we must conquer them so we can stay victorious in our walk to Jerusalem. 

Another step we must make is to stay faithful as He did.  Every day we wake up, we have the opportunity to be like Christ and remain faithful.  What is it to be faithful?  Our goal is not to conquer the world, but to be obedient to what God's word calls us to do.  Stay on the path.  During those times when we feel discouraged, we must trust in our obedience.  Maybe not today or tomorrow, but God will honor it.

Jesus faced his Jerusalem.  His Jerusalem was his death for our sins.  Because of this beautiful act of obedience, we are blessed to find our Jerusalem, our home in heaven.