Meeting Jesus

Recently I was listening to a sermon series preached by Alistair Begg called "An Extraordinary Encounter." In it Pastor Begg told stories from the gospels of Mark and John such as the man who was lowered down from the roof on a mat, The woman at the well, and Zaccheus the tax collector. These stories were not new to me, but it's always nice to return to familiar Bible stories to be reminded of the wonderful truths they contain. Iv'e come to realize that if a Bible story or passage is stale to me, It's my heart that is stale, not God's word. This time though God struck me with a super simple yet unfathomably profound truth that each of these stories contains. Each story records the interactions Jesus has with people as He travels around during His ministry. For the people that meet Him however, these encounters are literally life changing. So we hear this every time these stories are preached. But think about it. How could a short meeting with one man, that probably lasted no longer than a few hours at most, change someone's life? The answer is the simple truth God gave me. That meeting can change a life because that man is God. Let me repeat, and take a moment to let it sink in: these people MET GOD! Really, for truly, as literally and physically as possible met God. They did not meet God through some abstract and subjective spiritual experience that told them to follow God. God has used such things, but in these instances, these folks actually got to meet God himself. It blows my mind. God came down and walked along the paths of HIS creation and interacted directly with HIS creatures. He is not distant, leaving us to fen for ourselves, nor is he cruel, watching us from on high and laughing at our suffering. The beautiful good news of the Gospel includes this, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth," (John 1:14 KJV). God was right here on earth in the flesh, and one day He will be again. If we have accepted Him as our savior, we will see that glorious day.