Where Did You Meet Christ?

Scripture:

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
— Luke 9:23 (KJV)

Reflection:

Where did you meet Christ?

Where was that moment in your life when God became more than something you had simply heard about—when He became real to you?

Maybe it was a car accident. You looked at the wreckage around you and knew there was no earthly explanation for why you were still alive.

Maybe it was tragedy. You lost someone you loved, received news you never expected, watched something fall apart that you desperately wanted to hold together, or simply reached the end of yourself.

Did you seek God then?

Did you cry out to Christ?

Did you feel His presence when nothing else could comfort you?

Now ask yourself another question:

What happened when life continued on?

When the wounds healed, the funeral ended, the bills were paid, the new job came, the relationship changed, or life simply returned to normal—did you continue seeking Him?

Or did you slowly forget the God you desperately needed when everything was falling apart?

Because here’s the beautiful thing:

He didn’t quit seeking you.

Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.

That word daily matters.

Jesus didn’t say to pick up your cross only when tragedy strikes. He didn’t say to follow Him only when you’re afraid. He didn’t say to seek Him only when you’ve run out of other options.

He said daily.

Every day this world will try to pull us somewhere else.

Anxiety.

Stress.

Disappointment.

Success.

Depression.

Birth.

Death.

Job changes.

Relationship changes.

Financial pressure.

Temptation.

Fear.

Sometimes even the good things in life can distract us from the One who gave them to us.

Moses warned Israel about this very thing. After God delivered them through the wilderness, Moses warned them that when they entered a land of abundance, they must be careful not to forget the Lord who brought them there. (Deuteronomy 8:10–14)

Sometimes hardship isn’t where we forget God.

Sometimes comfort is.

Imagine a man named Daniel who survives a terrible highway accident. His vehicle is destroyed, yet somehow he climbs out alive.

Standing beside the wreckage, shaken and overwhelmed, Daniel prays:

“God, thank You. I don’t know why I’m still here, but my life belongs to You.”

For weeks afterward, everything changes.

He prays.

He reads Scripture.

He goes to church.

He tells everyone that God spared his life.

Then life becomes normal again.

Work gets busy. Responsibilities pile up. The wreck slowly becomes a story he tells instead of a moment that changed how he lives.

Prayer becomes occasional.

His Bible stays closed.

Months later, Daniel finds himself overwhelmed by stress again, trying to carry everything himself and wondering:

“God, where are You?”

But God didn’t move. Daniel did.

That’s why David tells his own soul:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
— Psalm 103:2 (KJV)

Sometimes we need to remind our own souls too.

Remember the wreck.

Remember the hospital room.

Remember the night you couldn’t stop crying.

Remember the prayer you thought nobody heard.

Remember the door that opened when every other door had closed.

Remember the peace you felt when nothing about your circumstances should have given you peace.

Remember where God met you.

But don’t stop there.

Don’t spend your entire life living off yesterday’s encounter with God.

Seek Him today.

When today’s problems come, our natural instinct is often to fix everything ourselves.

We turn to people.

Money.

Relationships.

Entertainment.

We stay busy.

We scroll.

We drink.

We spend.

We chase success.

We look for anything that might temporarily bury the pain, fear, loneliness, guilt, or shame.

Maybe it works for a little while.

But eventually we need more.

More distraction.

More validation.

More entertainment.

More success.

More of the world to keep burying what the world was never capable of healing.

There is only One who offers something permanent:

Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us to remain in Him because apart from Him we can do nothing. (John 15:4–5)

And He didn’t leave us to walk this road alone. The Holy Spirit teaches us, reminds us, comforts us, and continually directs our hearts back toward Christ. (John 14:26)

So maybe today’s question isn’t simply:

Where did you meet Christ?

Maybe the greater question is:

Where are you meeting Him today?

Don’t wait for another accident.

Don’t wait for another diagnosis.

Don’t wait for another heartbreak.

Don’t wait until you’re lying awake at 2:00 in the morning with nowhere else to turn.

Don’t wait until you’ve exhausted everything this world has to offer before finally saying:

“Jesus, I need You.”

Seek Him when you’re hurting.

But seek Him when you’re happy too.

Seek Him when you’re confused.

But seek Him when everything makes sense too.

Seek Him when the bank account is empty.

But seek Him when it’s full too.

Seek Him in tragedy.

But seek Him in the ordinary Tuesday morning when absolutely nothing remarkable seems to be happening.

Because the God who met you in the wreckage is still God when the road is smooth.

The Christ who held you together during tragedy is still Christ when life is good.

And the Holy Spirit who guided you when you couldn’t see the road ahead is still there when you think you know exactly where you’re going.

Remember where He met you.

Remember what He brought you through.

Remember who carried you when you couldn’t carry yourself.

Then get up today.

Die to self.

Pick up your cross.

And follow Jesus again.

Not just because you need something from Him.

But because you’ve discovered that what you truly need is Him.

Encouragement:

Today, take a moment and remember where Christ met you.

Remember the moment when He became real.

Remember the prayer.

Remember the deliverance.

Remember the peace.

Remember the grace.

Then ask yourself:

Am I still seeking Him with the same hunger today?

Don’t allow yesterday’s testimony to become today’s substitute for a relationship with Christ.

The God who met you then wants to walk with you today.

You don’t need another tragedy to seek Him.

You don’t need another crisis to pray.

You don’t need another miracle to worship.

Wake up tomorrow and choose Him again.

Then the next day, choose Him again.

And the next.

Take up your cross daily.

Follow Jesus daily.

Seek His presence daily.

Because Christianity isn’t simply about remembering the day you met Christ.

It’s about walking with Him every day afterward.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for every moment when You have shown Yourself faithful in my life. Thank You for the prayers You answered, the doors You opened, the dangers You carried me through, and even the moments when I didn’t understand what You were doing but You never left my side.

Forgive me for the times I have desperately sought You in hardship and slowly forgotten You when life became comfortable.

Don’t let me remember Your miracles while forgetting the God who performed them.

Jesus, teach me to deny myself, pick up my cross daily, and follow You. Show me the things of this world I am using to fill places that belong to You. Help me surrender what I keep trying to control and trust You with what I cannot carry.

Holy Spirit, guide me. Comfort me. Correct me. Remind me of the Father’s faithfulness and continually turn my heart toward Christ.

And when this world tries to pull me away tomorrow, help me choose You again.

Let me never forget where You met me.

But more importantly, Lord, let me keep meeting You every single day.

In Jesus’ mighty name,

Amen.

—
-Rev Carlos Figueroa
TheFreeBible.Org.