Yesterday, I posted a video of the Marine Corps Silent Drill platoon. (Scroll down or click here to see it.) Those Marines are in perfect step with each other. Every movement is in sync.

What would it be like if we were in sync with Jesus? Our steps in line with His? Following Him where He led us, not going our own way?

As I was reading Mark 10 recently, I was struck by the various reactions people had to Jesus when they were out of step with Him…and in one instance the reaction of someone was actually in step.

The chapter opens with the Pharisees coming to Jesus in an attempt to trip Him up. They were looking for a reason to accuse Him, so they tested Him with a question regarding divorce. Read it here.

We don’t see their reaction to the answer Jesus gave, but most likely they weren’t happy. They weren’t seeking the truth, they were simply questioning Jesus’ teachings and authority.

When we’re out of step with Jesus, we doubt Him. We question Him. We wonder if He’ll really come through for us. Sometimes we look for loopholes in His words or try to twist them to say what we’d like. We’re not interested in truly following Him, we only want to justify our current choices.

After this, people start to bring children to Jesus so He can touch and bless them. Apparently, the disciples didn’t see this as an important activity for Jesus to be engaged in, so they rebuked the people. When Jesus saw what was happening, He was indignant.

When we’re out of step with Jesus, we fail to understand His heart. Sometimes we see people as an inconvenience or interruptions to our plans. We’ve got things to do and can’t be bothered. But people are the plan. Even little children. When we’re too busy to slow down and love “the least of these”, then we’re no longer in step with Jesus.

After blessing the children, Jesus starts on His way when a man runs up and falls on his knees in front of Him. The man wants to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus tells him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor, the man goes away sad because he had great wealth.

Is there a greater indicator of whether or not we’re in step with Jesus than our money? Jesus sure talked a lot about it. Let me ask you–do you tend to view your money as 90% yours and 10% God’s? Or maybe 80% yours and 20% God’s? Or do you tend to go the other way where it’s 95% yours and only 5% God’s?

Actually, none of those views are correct. It’s 100% God’s. Your house, your car, your clothes, your dishwasher, your bank account, your retirement account, your everything–all belong to God. He gave them to you and He can take them from you. You and I own nothing.

So if it all belongs to God and there are others in need around you–what might God want to do with His wealth He’s entrusted to you? What if you made it your goal to give away as much as possible?

What might God do for those who freely gave away the wealth entrusted to them? Why don’t you find out?

So you would think that if your Friend tells you He’s going to be mocked, spit on, flogged and killed that you’d have some compassion for Him. Not the disciples. At least not James and John. No, they came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

Stop there for a minute. Do for us whatever we ask? What? Isn’t that the way little children talk?

And isn’t that the way we act sometimes when we pray?

We would never express it the way James and John did, but we expect God to do what we want, don’t we? We feel like if we do our part, then God should do His part. If we behave then God should bless us. But we’re out of step with Jesus when we think that way.

Instead, what if we spent more time getting to know His heart, so that we asked for the right things to begin with? Rather than making requests God has no intention of granting, what if our goal was to know Him so well that our desires were in line with His? Then when we prayed, He was delighted to answer us.

We have one more person in chapter 10 who encounters Jesus, the only one who seems to actually be in step with Him.

As Jesus and His disciples are leaving Jericho, a blind man named, Bartimaeus, starts begging Jesus for mercy. Verse 48 says, “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet…”

Not to pick on them, but do you think the “many” may have included one or two of the disciples? It wouldn’t surprise me. As close as they were to Jesus, they just seemed to always be out of step with Him. They didn’t see that the little children weren’t an interruption, but were actually the reason Jesus came. And the blind man wasn’t slowing Jesus down from reaching His objective–the blind man was the objective.

Do problems, inconveniences and unexpected difficulties throw you off? Do they make you angry? Anxious? Worried?

Yesterday, was a long day that ended with some car trouble at around 10:30 p.m. There are few things more effective than car problems to test whether or not I’m in step with Jesus.

Last night, I was out of step.

Today, I’m trying to get back in step.

As I was telling some friends earlier today, I’d really like to reduce the amount of time that elapses between becoming aware of the problem and my decision to believe God. Depending on the size of the problem, I may go anywhere from a few hours to a few days of being out of step.

Of course, the size of the problem is completely irrelevant. They’re all the same to God. There’s nothing He can’t handle. No problem is too big or too small for Him. I need to be quicker to remember that. I’m a lot more pleasant to be around when I’m in step with Jesus.

Well, Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?”

He replies, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”

Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Isn’t it funny that the only person in chapter 10 who seems to have been in step with Jesus was a blind man?

I guess when you’re a blind beggar, pride is out the window. You’re not trying to trick Jesus with your questions. You’re not indignant over the little children. You’re not in bondage to your wealth. And you don’t make stupid requests.

You’re just a blind beggar who wants to see and who’s more than happy to follow, in step, the One who gave you your sight.