Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

That is a long list. Look over it carefully and answer me this; where is making time for God?

Is it possible that making time for God was omitted on purpose? Or was it?

Ecclesiastes 3:22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Who indeed shall cause us to see beyond self? Only God can do that. If all you have time for is this long list, or your own which might be even longer given these busy time; then all you will ever see is the fruits of your own effort. You may count it good or bad, and in both cases it dies with you. That is short sighted.

Luke 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

The Father takes the long view. If you will make time for the Father, He will show you.

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Seeing Jesus do miracles is seeing He is LORD. It is God showing Himself to us. I’ve always thought that alone was enough to believe. Apparently I was wrong. Note that in the end, verse 6:66 many of these that followed Jesus stopped following Him.

It is never my intent to dissuade anyone from listening to Jesus, for any reason. It is however a matter of self-examination to know why you seek Jesus. Is it because you see Him as Lord or is it because you want Him to ease your suffering? I do not have that answer for anyone but myself.

Jesus reveals some hard truths about why He came to earth and what was asked of those who would stand with Him. Some admitted those were hard sayings, some stayed, many left. The reasons why people stopped following Jesus are private and personal, just like why some stayed. It was personal.

Jesus introduced Himself to me decades ago. Fifty years later, thousands of passages read, dozens of pastors, teachers and theologians, I have to admit there is still much to learn about my Lord. I do not follow Jesus because of what He can do for me, nor for what I know.

Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

That’s me, the hope for tomorrow, that God will reveal Himself again and again. I get to see His mercy, His grace, His loving hand at work in the land of the living. He is God, He has shown Himself to me and that alone is enough for me to keep following Jesus.