I am a Jesus pusher!!! David Livingston was a Scottish physician who left a promising practice in his homeland to become a medical missionary in Africa. News of his ministry and sacrifice soon made its way to America. Henry Stanley, a reporter, was given the opportunity to spend time with the missionary to capture his story for America. He traveled by boat for several weeks; upon his arrival he became the constant companion of Dr. Livingston. Arriving back in America, Henry’s friends held a welcoming party for him. They quizzed him about his time in Africa. Questions such as “What was David Livingston like?” were asked. He seemed to have nothing to tell them. When they pressed him further, he answered, “If I had been with him any longer, he would have compelled me to be a Christian.” He paused and then added, “Though he never spoke to me about it at all.”
Jesus did not proclaim a working, meriting, or doing religion, but an abiding, experiencing, and embracing relationship. This is the Kingdom of Heaven. You are not the Kingdom; Jesus is not the Kingdom. You and Him in embrace and relationship form the Kingdom of Heaven. The depth of this relationship produces an influence that cannot be stopped. We are salt and light in our world (Matthew 5:13-17). It is a state of being, filled with Him. We are not isolated from but influential in our world. I am a Jesus pusher!!!