Choosing a Place to Go

"If anyone serves me, let him follow Me; and where I am there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my Father will honour," says Jesus in John 12:26. The key question here is the "where" of Jesus for each and everyone of us as his followers. Even in his closing address to his disciples in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus promises his presence with us, "I am with you" until the end of the age, but that promise seems to be predicated upon his followers doing his commission - "Go, make disciple of all nations, baptising them and teaching them all that I have commanded you..." If we are not doing the great commission, it is hard to claim Jesus' presence though hypothetically, Christ will be present with every believer every where in every situation but his presence or the Commission's presence is only available to those who do His great commission.
When you are doing God's will in his commission, you will see Jesus' presence manifest in unique and marvellous ways. Miracles upon miracles will happen. You can run and climb over a wall as the Psalmist says as we do battle in the name of the Lord and live for His Gospel. Second, choosing a place where to go may mean choosing hard and difficult paths - "he who loves his life in this world will lose it; he who hates his life in this world will find it and keep it for life eternal." This is indeed a divine paradox, but the profundity is clear for all to see - if you give up self-ambitions, self-interests and self-will and die to the attractions of what the world can offer, but instead persist in walking the straight and narrow path in serving Christ in a place that could mean less comfort, convenience or cash with much suffering, hardships and persecutions, you will find true life because Jesus' presence is there with you and only in his life, the life of Jesus manifest in our mortal bodies, can we find true power and peace to do His work in our day.