John 1:38-39
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?  He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

When the disciples first encountered Jesus, they wanted to know what He was about.  They heard about Him, so they went to see.  Then they brought others along to see Jesus for themselves and make up their minds about what they were going to believe.  When He sees them and knows they are seeking Him, it’s not a demand that He makes.  There are no threats or mandates.  It’s just a simple invitation to come and see.

Jesus is always approachable.  If we are willing to go, He invites us along.  He invites us to learn about Him and to learn of Him.  He invites us to see for ourselves, to experience things with Him in His presence.  There is no need to wonder, but an open invitation to be part of Jesus’ world and His life.  So we can follow Him anywhere, dwell where He dwells, go where He goes to be a part of what He is going to do.  If we trust in who He is—Jesus the Christ, our Savior—we can answer His call to begin that amazing journey of walking with Him.

Maybe the most amazing thing is that Jesus invites us along knowing exactly who we are, all that dwells in our hearts, all we will do to disappoint Him, all the ways we will fail.  But He comes along anyway and asks us to follow.  He invited Peter knowing that he would deny Him.  He called Thomas even though He would doubt.  He invited Judas knowing he would betray.  He asked them to follow knowing they wouldn’t get everything right, knowing their faults and their weaknesses.  And He invites us under those same conditions because He’s going to teach us and shape us and help us along the way to become what He wants us to be.

What an opportunity that we have to know Jesus as our Savior and to walk along with Him through life.  It’s something we have to experience.  It’s up to us to believe and to decide to follow Him or not.  But Jesus is willing to take us as we are.  Jesus is willing to put in the time and the effort to mold us, to change us, to make us new and prepare us for the plans and purposes He has for our lives.  Let’s not stay in the background.  Let’s not wait on the fringe and allow Him to pass us by.  But let’s be part of it, in the midst of all He’s doing, near to Jesus as we go along.