The "WENT ALONG" Principle

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

THE “WENT ALONG” PRINCIPLE
”As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth (Jn.9:1).” You remember the rest of the story of how Jesus wonderfully healed this man.
Jesus’ style of living and ministering was characterized by the fact that he “went along” – or as some translations put it – “walked along.” What this suggests to me is that Jesus helped people in the natural flow of life. Pondering this passage, I have to ask myself, “Am I ‘going along’ in my life?” That is, am I moving naturally at the pace of life so that I see people’s needs and naturally minister Christ’s love to them? To be honest, at the pace I am living, I have to ask myself whether I really want to see their needs, much less deal with them.
Not so with Jesus. It is interesting that you never see Jesus rushing to get somewhere. He was already there. He simply “went along” in his life because he knew that the present moment, ordained by the Father, was the most important moment in the universe. And as he “went along” he naturally ministered to the needs of those around him.
I wonder why it is so difficult for us to grasp this idea of slowing down and living in the present at the speed of life. Living as life unfolds rather than slamming and jamming. You know, Blackberry driven. Does it have something to do with our panic over survival? Or our fear of failure? Or our angst over “getting ahead?” Or our belief that we must beat out our competitors? Could it be that we simply do not believe that if we really “went along” and ministered, as did Jesus, God would somehow meet our needs? Certainly Matthew 6:33 makes that promise.
I’ll bet I know what you are thinking. “Hey, I’ve got to control my circumstances because it’s up to me to ‘make it.’ It’s up to me to provide for my family. It’s up to me to keep the machine oiled and running. I’ll admit to myself, but certainly not anyone else that underneath my smooth exterior I am shackled by an unsettled fear. One way I quell the beast of anxiety is to race through life, controlling every eventuality that could crack the armor of my fragile security. It’s sad to admit it, but I have fallen into the trap of defining myself by what I do (“I’m an accountant”) rather than by who I am (“I’m a child of God”). So this ‘went along’ thing is way out of my league.”
Yet the Scriptures instruct us to emulate Jesus: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did. (1 Jn. 2:6 NLT)”
What if, as a life style, you and I were to practice stealing away with Jesus often enough to tap into his heart and mind? Steal away enough to absorb his assurances that he truly is there with us, caring and providing for our needs; calming our fears? Steal away enough to sense his heart and direction for us, appropriate his promises, and experience his inexpressible peace, joy and rest? (Jn. 14:27; Eph. 2:14; Jn. 3:29; 15:11; 16:20-24; 17:13; Ps 37:7; 62:1, 5)
Perhaps, at that point we would be delivered from our fears (Psa. 34:4; Phil. 4:6, 7). Perhaps then we would understand and truly learn to live out the vine-branch relationship of the natural flow of his life into ours, as we touched the lives us for him (Jn. 15: 1-16). Perhaps then we would naturally live out his “went along” principle of life.

This week may you experience His grace, peace and protection!

R. Dwight Hill