When the going got tough… They left. How incredibly sad.

Jesus did great miracles and attracted large crowds. But when he tried to actually touch them where they needed it most, to feed them truth and understanding, they didn’t want it! They left. They were not with Jesus seeking Holiness, they were there for the entertainment, to watch the miracles, for prosperity, to be fed earthly food.

Why do you seek God? Why do you attend church? Ask yourself. Or better yet, ask God to show you.

If our purpose, our motive for attending church, reading the scriptures, praying, is to “get” something, to receive then we already missed it. If that is our motive we are no different than these crowds that walked away when things get tough. When Jesus talks of spirit and life instead of healing and prosperity, the attraction fades. We walk away.

There is so much more in store for those who stay. The twelve stayed. They clung to Jesus, knowing that there is no where else to go. They took in the hard teaching, the difficult truths. They stayed, even when they didn’t understand. They were willing. They sought to please God, not themselves. The reward? Pentecost! These 12 (or 11 but that’s a different story) were blessed with being the first in all of mankind to be filled with the Holy Ghost and power.

“Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee”

Do you want the silver and gold, or the holiness that accompanies the ability to say “rise up and walk”? Do you want your life to be easier, or your neighbor’s? Do you seek to please God or yourself?

Do a test today. A simple test that can show where your heart is. Count how many times the words “I” or “me” or “my” comes out in your normal conversation. Compare that to how many times you say “you”, or “yours”. Is your heart focused on you, or your neighbor? Be honest. Out of the mouth, the heart speaks.

Don’t walk away when God asks for holiness, sacrifice, repentance, dying to self. Don’t abandon Jesus when worldly prosperity fails to fall on you. Don’t seek the church with the best entertainment value, best feelings. Stay with Jesus, stay with those seeking truth. Deep hard truth that convicts your soul and softens your heart.

Life is not about you. We are put here on this Earth for God, our Creator, not for our own good. Ultimately our peace and fulfillment comes by forgetting ourselves and living for Him. We are made to serve God, not “I”.

Don’t walk away. Stay with Jesus. He alone holds the truth, the keys to life. They are not found anywhere else.