I will always be by Jesus’ side, I will not lose sight of him In the temple

From: April 22-28, 2008

Pastor: Edith Cruz

Study: # 539

TOPIC: “I will always be by Jesus’ side, I will not lose sight of him In the temple” Luke 2:39-52 There are some things that we don't understand and we become insensible to what comes from God. In some people there is harshness that doesn't allow them to be reasonable and for that reason they cannot live a meek life for God. Each day it becomes more difficult for them to live dedicated to God, because according to them they have to work too much, they live this life in a hurry. The daily life and the hard work destroy the believer's life. Nowadays one lives to exercise, work, stroll, etc. There is no one full of passion to live for God. There are many things out there that regrettably occupy mind and heart and therefore we are not willing to look at Him. Then, as the years pass by, dedication is something that for some becomes more difficult. Mary and Joseph had forgotten that Jesus was in the temple. They believed Jesus had become distracted but in fact Jesus lived His life devoted. By the light of this we could say, that as the years go by, people take the road that leads them to the comforts and leave Jesus in the temple. Mary and Joseph’s duty was to walk with Jesus, to be there with Him. It is also our duty to do the same and to know that Jesus chose that place to teach, the Temple. This is where He always teaches, where we can learn more. Now, in this time, that place is the House of God. For Jesus it was a great pleasure to be in the temple. It should also be a great pleasure for us. We have a great need to learn and this should be a thirst in us. Nowadays, just as it happened with Joseph and Mary, the believers lose Jesus in the temple, because they look at other things and put their trust in them. We dedicate our life to vain things when our life belongs to God. We lose His care, the one who is always at our side. He will always be there with the truth. It becomes so easy to abandon Jesus sometimes, and we don’t even care. No one can ever move Jesus, because He came to heal us, to deliver us and to bring us the good news of salvation. He is not contaminated with anything. Nobody leaves Jesus for any other reason that is not sin. We sometimes think that Jesus is walking in the same caravan where we are walking, but He doesn't walk like we walk but rather He will be in the temple in His Father's business. For some there is no longer love for the temple, because they have become tired and they have lost contact with Jesus. The reason is because of hidden sins that have not been confessed. Time speaks out loud. It seemed that the communication with Jesus had been interrupted, but it was not this way. That was Jesus' ministry and it was to love and to care for. We sometimes forget and we leave Jesus in the temple and continue to live for ourselves. Jesus called us to sit down with Him and to teach us, He called us to love us. We have to return to the Lord. To return to Him it is necessary to see where it is that the communion was interrupted and then to confess and abandon the sin. The essence of life is to abandon sin because it brings evilness not only to us, but also to those that surround us. We must be careful with the plans that we make! It so happens that Jesus weighs our hearts and He knows our intentions. It seems that is no longer a pleasure to sit down before Him; Jesus is in the temple and we’re just worried about ourselves. We can be sure that anything that we have away from Jesus will not remain. When we become careless we lose the pleasure of the divine worship in the congregation.

It was Mary’s duty to worship Jesus since He was in her womb. We cannot lose Jesus as Mary and Joseph did. He has to be close to us always. We think that it is Jesus’ duty to be at our side. However, the apathy is ours. Worship is the maximum expression of our love. It is not Jesus' duty to be at our side, but rather it is our duty. Jesus was in the Father's business and He knew clearly what His Father’s business was. We must not lose time with issues that are not important. Jesus was interested in the Father's affairs. God created us with the same purpose. Let us not be confused with Jesus, He definitely knows the Father's business. We should also know them and be involved in the same way our Master is. We like to make our own decisions without knowing the Father's affairs. Mary and Joseph, after so much anxiety, days of search and discomfort, asked Jesus where He was. It is our duty to know where Jesus is. A person walks away from Jesus because of what he or she is hiding inside. The truth is that the reason for leaving Jesus is rebelliousness and sin. They leave Jesus in the Father’s business, because no one can take Him away from what He loves so much. Let us be clever and like the Master, let us seek for the Father's business. Jesus knows where He should be, as the church we should also know where we should be. It was very clear to Jesus what His divine mission was. Mary and Joseph’s business should have been to be with Jesus. Mary had forgotten that an angel had appeared to her in her home and told her that what was in her womb was of the Holy Spirit. She knew that the three kings gave Him everything that He was going to need and that the shepherds came to worship Him. That was Jesus, God on Earth. And in the same way it happens to us, we forget that Jesus gave His life for us and that now we have life and not death. If we have been saved by Him, why do we want to live like everyone else lives? Have we lost Jesus? We will find Him occupied in the Father’s affairs. Let us get down to prayer, fasting and reading the Word of God. We should be involved in the Father's affairs, but some don't like it. Jesus is not just another person in our lives. He is God, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. We forget and we stop loving the Father's affairs. That was Jesus' main objective here on Earth. Mary and Joseph, more than anyone else, were supposed to worship Him and not reprehend Him. He didn't need any attention or for anyone to watch after Him because He was God on Earth. Let us not make the same mistakes. We must not reprehend Jesus with our complaints. Mary could not understand the words that Jesus spoke. Humans tend to seek for their own desires and they show that they are not interested in the Father’s business and they lose sight of Jesus. It was logical that Jesus’ understanding, at the age of 12, surpassed Joseph and Mary’s understanding. The inability to understand the Father's affairs is when there is no understanding. Jesus surpasses all understanding, all thoughts. Jesus’ understanding and thoughts are high. It is necessary to know Jesus closely in order to carry on the Father's affairs. The devil plans to kill and to destroy, while some are entertained in the struggle with their flesh. We should seek and surrender completely to acknowledge and to love the Father's affairs. In this way we will be close and we will do what pleases God. This is the way to have abundant fruits and to rejoice in His presence. Amen.