It is better to hang out with the one who said: I will in no wise cast out any man that comes to me… it means that God does not discriminate.
It is also better to hang out with the one who said: Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. It means that even though storms may be raging around me, if I go to him, I will find rest.
It is better to hang out with the one who said: I am come that ye may have life and have it more abundantly. The one who guarantees me abundant life is better than that one that kills, mains, steals and destroys.
The one who gives me freedom by the power of truth is better than the one who ropes me in bondage with lies, deception and manipulation.
Jesus said: I am the truth, the way and the life. But the enemy, on the other hand, is described as the father of lies.
It is better to hang out with the one who has given me power over all the forces of the enemy than to hang out with the oppressor.
It is better to hang out with the one that is abundant in love and compassion than to hang out with the one full of wickedness and without mercy.
Again it is better to hang out with the one who anointed to do good, the one that heals me of sickness and disease, than to hang out with the one who can only do evil.
The choice for me is no brainer. Joshua said to the people of Israel:
‘And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Joshua 24:14)
Joshua said that he and his household will serve the LORD. That is also my choice, for me and my household. For it is better for me to be a gatekeeper in the House of God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10).
I will choose to hang out with Jesus.
I want to say that life is good with Jesus; and it gets better and better with Him.
Let’s read from John 2:1-12:
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
Theologians have told us many things about this wedding in Cana of Galilee.
The miracle of turning water into wine has been interpreted in diverse ways. Some say it represents the inauguration of the new covenant. Others say it represents joy and abundance of life of the Kingdom of God.
But this morning, as I meditated on these scriptures, the Spirit of God that dwells inside of me told me that what this means, and what it represents is that life is better with Jesus. It is not only good, but it gets better and better with him. It represents the transformation that we experience in Jesus Christ. It is a representation of Jesus transforming hearts, lives, and destinies—bringing about inner renewal and fullness of life.
The governor of the feast said in John 2:10
‘And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.’
Jesus represents the good wine. God kept that good wine until now.
The more I meditated on these things, the more I realised that if we truly choose to hang out with Jesus, our lives will get better and better.
There are many scriptures in the Old Testament that give us a clue that life with Christ is not only good, but better.
The foundation of our faith is anchored on Abraham, the man who believed God. When he was called by God, he believed, and the Bible says that by virtue of that belief, he became righteous before God. This was a pointer to the righteousness that will be attributed to those who would later believe in Jesus Christ.
The Bible declares:
‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ (Romans 10:10)
That is how the New Testament explains it.
John 6:28-29 gives more us more insight:
‘Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.’
How do we know that life in Christ is better, and what are the reasons why we must make the right choice to hang out with him?
Firstly, let’s look at what the Word says.
‘But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.’ (Proverbs 4:18)
So, for those who are righteous in the sight of God because of the acceptance of Christ, the Bible says that life can only get better and better for them.
In the New Testament, this picture painted in Proverbs 4:18 is fully expressed in 2 Corinthians 3:18:
‘But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’
Glory is a reflection of light. Light symbolises glory. It can only get better and better when we hang out with Christ. Glory is in weights. Light is in degrees.
Secondly, in Zechariah 3, the Bible paints a dramatic picture of the enemy accusing Joshua, the High Priest, before God.
The Bible says:
‘And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.’
But God rebuked him, saying: Is not this like a brand plucked out of fire? God indeed plucked us out of the fire. The Bible says that he translated us from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of His dear Son Jesus Christ.
And in Romans 8:1, we see how the New Testament interprets this for us, making it clearer to understand.
‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’
Hallelujah!
As long as we keep believing in Him, hanging out with Him in fellowship, seeking him with all our heart, searching his Word, seeking His face on the altar of prayer, longing after Him like the dear that pants after water, the enemy will never succeed in bringing any accusation against us before God. God will simply rebuke him and say to him: Be gone, satan!
Thirdly, how is life with Christ a better option?
In Psalm 84:7, the Bible tells us:
‘They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.’
This is a prophetic scripture which speaks about God imparting supernatural strength to those who appear before Him.
This prophetic scripture finds fulfilment in Ephesians 3:16
‘That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;’
We are indeed strengthened with might in our inner man by the Spirit of God.
Is it not better to hang out with Christ and have our strength renewed by the Holy Ghost?
Paul the Apostle said in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17:
‘For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;’
What should we do to continue to enjoy this better life?
- We must accept him as Lord and Saviour.
This is the foundation of this better life in Christ. We must be born again. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3:
‘Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
- We must continue to abide in Him. It is when we abide in Him that we partake of the fatness of the olive tree (Romans 11:17).
Also, Jesus admonished us in John 15:4-8:
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
- We must continue to obey Him.
Obedience is better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22)
The mother of Jesus said to the men at the wedding in Cana of Galilee: ‘Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.’ (John 2:5)
Paul the Apostle admonishes us in Hebrews 1:1
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
These last days, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to speak to us.
Jesus is not in the class of the prophets, he is the Son of God. He asked his disciples: Who do men say that I am?
Peter responded: Thou art Christ the Son of the living God.
And hear what the LORD God said to us concerning Jesus at the baptism of Christ in Matthew 17:5:
‘While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.’
The Lord God said: Hear ye him.
It means that in order to continue to enjoy this better life in Christ, we must heed his word and obey.
Therefore, brethren, life in Christ is a better option. Wisdom demands that we choose good instead of evil, truth instead of deception, freedom instead of oppression, life instead of death.
Hallelujah!
Bro Ify Onabu
May 2025
