"And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is the say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?" (John 1:37-38 KJV)
"My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body." (Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT)
A very interesting point must be made of the question asked of Jesus, "What seek ye?" or as the NLT says, "What do you want?" Some might interpret it in the negative, as to put forth the notion that Jesus just going for a walk and didn't really want to be bothered. If that is what you might think, don't even begin to assume that is the case; this is not a question Jesus is asking for Himself, as if to say, Why are you following me; but rather, a question He is asking of them, that they might see why within their own heart.
If you want to relate this question to another example in the Bible, you could look at it in the case of God asking Adam, as He called out to him, "Where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9) It is impossible to believe that God did not know where Adam was, because God knows all things! A simple little fact that is easy for us to forget, as we might pretend to sin without Him knowing what we might do!
Jesus has said very clearly, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," as it is Him that makes the way for us to hear, to turn, and to listen! We must not ever forget that He is the one that chose us, because in times of trials and disappointments we can never blame it on ourselves, but instead, we can look to God for strength; after all, it is His fault we are in whatever situation, because He chose us!
Don't look at me, I'm just using Adam's excuse for messing up! But seriously, if God places you in any sort of ministry or calling, and you somehow get thrown into fire or even the lion's den, you must never blame yourself for what is happening. If you have done nothing wrong in God's eye, then you are in that fire or lion's den for His glory to be worked out through your life, whatever might happen!
Anyways, this minor example of God's choosing still involves us making a choice! If you are looking for this proof within their answer, the best one I have to show you is found in the Book of Ruth...
"But Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you or turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God, Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!" (Ruth 1:16-17 NLT)
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