How difficult is it to show up? Some of us have a hard time showing up on time. Others don’t show up at all, and still others show up but are never really there.

There was a time when the disciples had a hard time showing up. After Jesus’s death, the disciples went home. They started meeting behind closed doors. They even went fishing.

They stopped showing up.

The disciples had showed up every day for the past three years. They had devoted their lives to something much greater than themselves. They had seen miracle after miracle, and yet as soon as Jesus wasn’t around they stopped showing up.

So, Jesus comes back, and He says, “Go.”

I wonder how many of us need to hear this same word. Go.

I’m not sure if I’m going to make it to church today. Go.

I don’t think I have time to serve others. Go.

I don’t know about this small group thing. Go.

Do I really need to read my Bible? Go.

I don’t know if it’s worth pursuing my passion. Go.

Let me ask you a question. What made you think it was ever ok to stop?

At what point did you push the pause button on your life? When did you go back to fishing and give up on the life Christ called you to?

Jesus didn’t stop showing up. You did. You have to take ownership of that.

You get to choose whether you show up or not. No one gets to make that choice for you. Quit looking for someone or something to blame and start taking responsibility for the life you’re leading.

Because at the end of your life, I think Jesus is going to want to know, “Did you show up?”

What are the benefits of showing up? Name a time in your life when you didn’t show up and should have.