Close to Jesus

John 11:1-3 ESV

“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom You love is ill.’”

There was obviously a special bond with Jesus and this family. Jesus was reported to have gone to their house on occasions when in the area. Lazarus, who Jesus would raise from the dead just after this passage, Mary and Martha we could say that they were close to Jesus. According to scripture they believed He was the Messiah and the Son of God. Not all of Jesus’s original twelve had believed that some were still skeptical. Lazarus, Mary and Martha followed Jesus’s teachings, and some scholars believed that they helped finance His ministry.

How does Jesus perceive us? Does He feel welcomed enough to spend time at our house? Would He be welcomed enough to share a meal with us? Would He feel close enough to us that we would not just support His work financially, but that we would pray for Him, talk well of Him to others, sit down and have a frank conversation with Him? I know how He loves us, do we reciprocate that love, like His love for us?

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that we would draw closer to You. I pray that we consider You as part of our home and family. A trusted friend and confidant. No one ever cared for us like You Lord Jesus, I just pray that we can care for You the same way that You care for us. We want to be the people that You love and trust at all times. In Your name Lord Jesus, Amen!