Retreat
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1 Corinthians 11:1
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ!
The apostle Paul tells us that we should follow him as he follows Jesus and I think, when we hear that we think about Jesus goodness. I’m sure we do some comparisons and think “I can’t be that good” or “I can’t be that bold about my faith”. “I CAN’T be like Jesus, He was perfect!” You are right, you can’t be exactly like Jesus. If you could He would not have had to go to the cross. But you can strive to be more like Him.
One of the things that doesn’t typically come to mind when we say, strive to be like Jesus is someone who withdraws or retreats. But if we look at Matt. 14:13, Mark 1:35, Matt. 14:23 or Luke 6:12 (as well as several other verses) we will see that Jesus retreated quite often. He would go to a place of solitude and pray. He got away from as many distractions as He could and He gave Himself over to the Father in prayer.
When we read these verses we see Jesus retreat in to a place of solitude, in a boat, and twice to a mountain. Can you envision our Savior sitting on a mountain or in a boat on a calm, glimmering lake lifting up prayers and speaking with our Heavenly Father? What a beautiful picture of our Savior and our Heavenly Father alone in communion with one another. And if John 17 is any indication, our Savior was probably praying for us.
So, no, we cannot be perfect like Jesus, we cannot advance The Gospel the way that He did and we cannot even love the way that He did. But, we can certainly strive to be more like Him and we can certainly retreat and spend time with our Heavenly Father, the way He did.
I pray that you would take some time today, to get with the Father. In your own quiet little solitude, away from the destractions of the day, ask for His forgiveness (we all need that), tell Him how much you love Him, praise Him for the bountiful blessings in your life and then, maybe, just for a few moments, listen. Listen and let The Father speak to you.
Have a blessed day!
Luv ya!
