The Crowd

When the crowds came to Jesus, he did not try to hold them. He fed them and walked away. Compromise comes when we try to hold the crowd. 

If you have experienced a certain degree of success, you may have attached some of your ego and identity to that success. This is a challenge because it makes it harder to let go of what is known, familiar, and affirming. 

Jesus was always walking away from “success.” He healed people and walked away. He fed the crowds and walked away. He did this because he knew his success was not to be enshrined and become a stationary monument. Even his disciples wanted to build memorials to his ministry. 

In this transition, you will need to walk away from the crowds if you are to remain healthy spiritually. 

Compromise rears its ugly head when the applause and evidence of your success tell you to create systems to hold onto the blessing. You may find yourself trying to recapture what happened in the past or building a memorial to your successes. Let the crowds follow Jesus. The only safe place for them to assemble is around him. 

 (An excerpt from the book, A Good Place.)