John 6- In Pursuit

"The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ... Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus." John 6:22,24

Are you in pursuit of Jesus? These people upon realizing that Jesus wasn't around, they were willing to leave whatever it was that they had planned and pursue Jesus. They got in boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. I wonder was it all of their days off? Were they bored so they sought out this God man? More realistically he was so compelling that their businesses simply did not open that day. Imagine empty kiosks in the towns while their salesmen sat at the feet of Jesus... and when he couldn't be found they pursued him. They knew that this was a big deal. Bigger than work. Bigger than chores at home. Bigger than dinner plans. People were pursuing Jesus. Imagine the repercussions from these couple days. What would happen if you simply didn't show up to work? Or School? Because you were in pursuit of something of more value than money and more valuable than education? Your parents would ground you for a month if you were that irresponsible...

But, I want to ask you... Do you love Jesus like that? Do you earnestly pursue him? Would you be willing to drop ANYTHING for him? Or do you simply try to squeeze him into your already full life? Are you willing to risk your reputation for him? Your job for him? Your friends for him? Because he says that, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:37-38)." In other words you better love the author of life more than your life itself. You better be crazy about him or you are missing the point of your existence. I would love to see a youth group that is marked by a passionate and relentless love for Jesus. I challenge you to pursue Jesus. Drop everything and seek him today. Seek him out, get out of the house, go to a park, go to a place where you can be un-distracted, and sit at his feet. Kneel down and humble yourself.... and listen to Him when he speaks! Because what he says might not be what you expect!? (read next blog).