CHAPTER HEALTH
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JESUS FOCUSED CHAPTERS started for me with a rereading of one of my favorite pas-
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sages in morning prayers :
“ Remain in me , and I will remain in you . For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine , and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me .
“ Yes , I am the vine ; you are the branches . Those who remain in me , and I in them , will produce much fruit . For apart from me you can do nothing . Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers . Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned . But if you remain in me and my words remain in you , you may ask for anything you want , and it will be granted ” ( John 15:4-7 , NLT )!
Here is the simple challenge I have heard for my own life , and I ' d like to share it with the wonderful men and women in CMA chapters across the nation : Focus on staying focused on Jesus . While the world , the flesh , and the devil would try to pull me away from Jesus , I know remaining with Him is my true calling . We have lots to do . Many motorcyclists in our local area need to know the hope and life Jesus brings . But we need always to remember the instructions of the One we follow . He said , “ Apart from me , you can do nothing .” It might sound like a cliché and easy to brush aside as a nicety or a naive thought , but what I am hearing from the Holy Spirit is a strong call to remain Jesus-focused . This
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sometimes gets put to the test as we go through the busyness of our lives and ministry . |
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“ I ’ ve just got to see Him ” Overcoming Obstructions ( Luke 19:1-10 , NLT )
“ Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town . There was a man there named Zacchaeus . He was the chief tax collector in the region , and he had become very rich . He tried to get a look at Jesus , but he was too short to see over the crowd . So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road , for Jesus was going to pass that way .
When Jesus came by , he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name . “ Zacchaeus !” he said . “ Quick , come down ! I must be a guest in your home today .”
Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy . But the people were displeased . “ He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner ,” they grumbled .
Meanwhile , Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said , “ I will give half my wealth to the poor , Lord , and if I have cheated people on their taxes , I will give them back four times as much !”
Jesus responded , “ Salvation has come to this home today , for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham . For the Son
of Man came to seek and save those who are lost .”
Here is the most famous story from your Sunday school days ,
Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus , but he can ' t see over the crowds . So he climbs up into a tree to get a better look at Jesus . And not coincidentally , when Jesus passes by , they lock eyes , and Zacchaeus ' life is forever transformed .
The obvious takeaway from the Scripture is if you are short , learn to climb trees . But an additional takeaway is if you can ' t see Jesus from all the things obscuring your vision of Him , maybe you need to change your perspective . Time after time , circumstances crowd in on my desire to remain Jesusfocused . Routine , religion , and sometimes rebellion just want to block my view of Christ . When these and many other things get in my clear line of sight , I need to climb a tree and secure myself a clear view of Jesus . The heart of Zacchaeus was “ I ' ve just got to see Him ,” and so he did what it took to get Jesus in his vision .
CMA Chapters , let ' s not lose sight of the One we are following . We need to do what it takes to remain connected to Jesus , to do what it takes to walk in union with Him .
What will it take for us to have that same type of “ I ' ve just got to see Him ” passion ? For me , it means climbing the sycamore tree of prayer and Bible study . It means climbing the tree of silence and solitude , so I can get myself in a place to truly see Jesus and truly hear Jesus . It ' s a Psalm 42 deer panting , day and night kind of longing to be with Jesus that says ,
( continue on page 28 )
09⎪JULY 2022⎪www . cmausa . org