Knowing Jesus

Do you know who Jesus is? Have you heard about Him but not quite fully understand? Have you seen pictures painted by artists? How likely do you think they capture His likeness? Does His likeness really matter? What do you think is most important to know about Jesus?

We have heard of God and Jesus. We hear the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We may have even heard of the Trinity or three in one. Sometimes, we hear these names interchangeably, which can be confusing. So, who are they?

We may think of the Father as the one who created all things. We may think of Him as the master orchestrator or conductor. We might think of Him as the one who planned everything, putting all things into motion. That may not be as true as we think.

We don’t often hear much about the Holy Spirit, other than He lives inside us, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. Yet the Holy Spirit has been the one working throughout human history, interacting with people to prophesy and proclaim God’s Word.

Jesus is referred to as the Son. This is largely due to Him being born of a virgin, even though she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). He lived as a human for roughly thirty-three years, growing as a young lad into a man, spending His last three years teaching, preaching, healing, and raising the dead. He was crucified, buried, and raised on the third day (Romans 8:34).

Did you know that all things were created through Jesus (John 1:1-3, 14)? He existed before time as God’s Word. He put on flesh, becoming human to carry out God’s Will. He came to rescue us from our sinful ways and eternal punishment. He came to be our Savior.

We see in today’s passage that Jesus is the exact representation of God’s being. He is the radiance of God’s glory. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is everywhere at once. He is always with us. He knows what we need. He is our provider.

Because He was human, He understands. He was tempted. He experienced hunger and thirst. He knows what it is to be angry. He knows what it is like to work. He knows the feeling of something coming that we don’t want to face. We can go to Him with all our troubles.

I pray we all come to know who Jesus is. I pray we know He is always with us. I pray each one of us grows in our understanding of Him. Know that Jesus is your Savior. Know that He understands your troubles. Know He will provide. Trust Him in all things.

Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Belong

How do you view other people? Do you view them with jealousy? Do you have a low self-esteem? Do you see others as different from you? Do you view yourself as unique? Are you looking to belong to a group?

As we look at others, we only see the superficial outside or projected person. We also see what we want to see. Our prejudices often blind us. We may be fearful of someone who is different. We can become paranoid, thinking everyone is against us, especially those who appear to have their lives in order.

Our minds can play tricks on us. If we allow those tricks to take hold, they can compound on themselves and cause us to spiral downward. We become more fearful, prejudiced, and paranoid. We may further isolate ourselves, withdrawing inward, listening to the voice in our head. Far too often, that voice is Satan telling us lies.

How do we combat such disillusionment? Our culture and modern medicine will tell us to seek psychiatric counseling. It is true that some need such help. On the other hand, many do not. Many need to hear the truth of Jesus, become part of His Body, and accept the counsel of the Holy Spirit. They need to know that God is all-powerful and will change their way of thinking.

We all are children of God, but not all of us belong to Him. That may sound confusing. We all have a choice to make. We are God’s children in that He has created each one of us. Yet we have the choice of belonging to Him or disassociating ourselves from Him. It is easy to walk away from God. We do that easily as we follow the world’s culture. We are lead astray one small step at a time. It happens without us even realizing it.

How do we keep from walking away from God? We must take an honest look at ourselves periodically. We must ask ourselves hard questions and be completely honest with ourselves. Then we must make the appropriate changes to return to God. This exercise includes relying on the Holy Spirit and His promptings. It takes making a conscious effort to make the change. We must spend quality time in prayer—both asking and listening. Our desire to belong to God and be part of the body of Christ must drive us. Once we have committed to that, we will realize we belong to a larger body (or group) and we have a responsibility to the entire body.

I pray we all take time to reflect on our lives. I pray we realize we are children of God. I pray each one of us will commit to being a productive part of the body of Christ. Give up your old ways. Reflect on your life. Choose to be a follower of Christ. Commit to Jesus. See the wonderful change He will make in your life.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Finding Balance

What are you working for? No, that is not a rhetorical question. Are you working to exist, to live from one day to the next? Are you working to save money and acquire more possessions? Are you working out of passion or necessity?

We all must work to provide for our families. The cost of housing, food, and clothing—the bare necessities—costs continue to increase. If we want to provide anything beyond those, we must be better qualified and work more to provide a higher quality of life.

Back to the original question, what are you working for? Despite what we may think, most of us are working to acquire more. That is not bad, in and of itself, but it can be detrimental to our health and well-being. When it becomes an addiction to gain more, causing us to work more, wearing ourselves down, our health suffers. Balance is needed in our lives.

To acquire balance, we must set priorities. One priority that will help ground us is walking and working with Jesus. Learning who He is and what He desires for us is the first step. As we start our learning, we can begin working for Him. We can set priorities based on what we learn from Jesus. We learn to live with what God has blessed us with. Not that we should want any less for our families, but we work for something beyond this life—eternity.

The truth of the matter is all the possessions we work for in this world will disappear. They will erode, rot, be tossed in the trash heap, and be of no further use. Our eternal home will last forever. Working for something that will never be destroyed should be our goal.

The balance we really want, even if we won’t consciously admit it, is working toward our eternal home with Jesus while we pass through this world. It is what will satisfy us forever. It will bring about the balance we seek and need. Our souls will find peace beyond understanding. Oh, we still need food, water, clothing, and shelter, but God will provide those (Matthew 6:28-34).

I pray we all seek balance. I pray we work for Jesus. I pray each one of us will seek to learn more about Jesus to find the balance we need. Work for what cannot be destroyed. Seek to know more about Jesus. Find balance for your life. Find the peace you desire.

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Be In Awe

Have you ever spent time pondering the sheer majesty of God? Have you looked at the stars at night and thought about how they were created? Have you tried to count the number of species and various breeds of animals? What about thinking about the make-up of your DNA?

Sometimes, our breath is taken away when we see nature in action. Perhaps we take a trip to the coast and stand on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We might drive into the mountains, go to the top, and take in the view for miles and miles. We may travel through a desert and marvel at the endless sand and the sparsity of plant and animal life.

Have you followed the recent Mars mission NASA is conducting? Do you know they sent a small helicopter attached to the rover and it took its first flight recently? We, humans, are beginning to reach out to the planet nearest ours to look for evidence of life forms past or present. It has taken us years and years to design and develop this capability.

God created all that we see and feel. He created each one of us. The ecological system is extremely complex with millions of plants, animals, humans, and microorganisms all relying on one another to maintain a balance. Our very own human bodies are extremely complex, a compilation of millions of cells that coalesce into muscle, organs, and fluids. When we spend a little time thinking about the complexity of it all, we can quickly become overwhelmed—or, more accurately, we are in awe.

Once you have thought about it and been overwhelmed, think about the God who created it all and His love for you. Yes, the all-powerful God who created it all knows each one of us, loves each one of us, and provides for each one of us. He knows us even more intimately than we know ourselves and cares for us more than anyone we have ever had a relationship with.

If thinking about these things doesn’t put us in awe of God, we haven’t really spent time to contemplate them. If we are not overwhelmed with wondering how a God who created all this can care for us, we have no appreciation for how special we are to Him. He knows each name, habit, desire, trait, and the number of breaths we take. How can we not be in awe of God?

I pray we all are in awe of God. I pray we take time to observe the vastness of His creation. I pray each one of us realizes God cares for us. Be overwhelmed. Be in awe of God. Know that He knows you. Know that He cares for you. Know you are special to Him.

Psalm 144:3-4

Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,

mere mortals that you think of them?

They are like a breath;

their days are like a fleeting shadow.

Futile Wisdom

How smart do you think you are? Do you consider yourself to be knowledgeable in many subjects? Are you considered an expert in one or two subjects? Do you look up to those who are considered to be very smart?

Sometimes we become rather proud of what we know. We start thinking highly of ourselves and flaunt our knowledge. It may become a competition among our peers. And far too often, we look down our noses at those who don’t know what we know.

It is a sad state of our human nature that we elevate ourselves above others. When it comes to knowledge, we all are mere infants. Unfortunately, we show just how little we know when we open our mouths. As the book of Proverbs records many times, the wise person listens far more than they speak.

As today’s passage indicates, being wise in the world is foolishness before God. Why? Far too often the wise of the world begin thinking they can live without God. They believe they have it all figured out. They forget to rely on God, which ultimately ends in their downfall.

You see, when we attempt to live without God, our destruction is eminent. Oh, we might make good wages. We might acquire many possessions. We might be able to travel. We might appear to have a good life from the outside. Yet, without God, we live without peace, contentment, joy, and real love.

We must remember God knows everything at all times. His wisdom includes altering situations in order to accomplish His plan. God is continually teaching us, if we will simply stop long enough to listen and learn. This is what it means to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). If we truly want to become wise, we must stop talking, stop thinking about worldly topics, and focus on God. No, we don’t need to do this all day long, but we do need to spend time in this type of meditation on a regular basis.

I pray we all decide to pursue God’s wisdom. I pray we stop to spend time with God. I pray each one of us realizes the foolishness of the world’s wisdom and focus on God’s wisdom. Spend time with God. Spend time meditating on Him. Gain true wisdom. Leave foolishness behind.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

Choose Wisely

How wise our you when making choices? Do you take time to think through the options? Or do you make them quickly without much thought? Do you seek advice? Or do you think you know all you need to know to make the choice?

We make choices every day. Some choices are rather small while others are significant. We choose what time to wake up so we can be to work on time. We choose what we will wear. We choose what we will eat. Daily choices that we don’t often think about much. They have become habitual and routine.

Yet even those small choices have an effect on our lives. If we wake up at a time that only allows us just enough time to get ready and head to work, what happens when we spill our morning coffee and need to clean it up? Unfortunately, it typically means we start thinking we are going to be late and start rushing. What does rushing result in? Too often it results in more mistakes and perhaps a speeding ticket. This is just one simple example of how a small choice can negatively affect our lives, compounding a potential problem.

When we make larger choices with no more thought put into them than setting our alarm, the consequences can be much more impactful. For example, choosing who our friends are can very positive or it can lead us down a path of destruction. I have made some mistakes in my life with friendships that have led me down paths that were destructive. I give God the thanks He deserves for both allowing me to survive those situations and opening my eyes to see the need for change.

What I have discovered as I’ve read God’s Word is to trust in the wise sayings found in Proverbs. If we truly want to make wise choices, choices that will lead to a full and productive life, we will read and heed the wise sayings of Proverbs. Spending time reading, thinking, and meditating on those wise sayings can only lead us to a better life in the here and now.

I pray we all choose to be wise. I pray we spend time reading and pondering the wise sayings of Proverbs. I pray each one of us desire and choose a better life. Trust God’s Word. Read His advice. Seek His wisdom. Make better choices. Live a better life.

Proverbs 30:24-28

“Four things on earth are small,

yet they are extremely wise:

Ants are creatures of little strength,

yet they store up their food in the summer;

hyraxes are creatures of little power,

yet they make their home in the crags;

locusts have no king,

yet they advance together in ranks;

a lizard can be caught with the hand,

yet it is found in kings’ palaces.”

Reconciliation and Forgiveness

How good are you at apologizing? Do you loath the idea of saying you are sorry. When you finally grudgingly apologize, is it honest and wholehearted? Do you truly seek to reconcile differences with someone else?

It seems there is no one in our world today who isn’t at odds with someone else. There is continual upheaval among differing factions. Splits in families on opposite sides of various topics are common. Heated arguments and hurt feelings are a daily occurrence.

We have forgotten the concept of reconciliation. Our culture has lost the art of debate, being able to present differing viewpoints and meet at a compromise. Instead, the “my way or the highway” attitude has taken control, which only creates more dissention.

This does not mean we should compromise our faith or the truth of God’s Word. It does mean we are be wise enough to know the difference between opinion and fact. We are to be willing to compromise on our preferences in order to bring about peace. We are to not go about purposely offending others.

Notice Jesus’ words in today’s passage. He was referring to the Jewish sacrificial system of coming to the altar to ask for forgiveness. Jesus was telling them to be reconciled with one another before they came to the altar. How does this apply to us? We are to be reconciled with one another before we head to church on Sunday. How much would our world change if we all pursued reconciliation, minimally, on a weekly basis?

Reconciliation doesn’t come easy. The first step we must take is letting go of our pride. We must step down off our high horse and humble ourselves, first to God, then to our fellow human. This becomes the stumbling block to true reconciliation. It becomes the root cause for arguments, fighting, and separation.

The second step is asking God to reveal our own faulty beliefs to us and a willingness to change our attitudes and hearts. In effect, we must be willing to follow Jesus, not simply say we do. We must become people who trust in the truth of God’s Word. Jesus has called us to be a positive example to others. We are called to be different.

I pray we all pursue true reconciliation. I pray we are willing to change our attitudes. I pray each one of us will seek to follow Jesus. Be reconciled. Set aside your pride. Ask God to change your attitude. Dare to be different than the world.

Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”

God is Seeking You

Do you long to be taken care of? Are you looking for someone who will be a protector? Do you want to find a place of shelter from the chaos of this world? Do you long to belong to a group who looks after one another in partnership with their overall protector?

We all desire to be in a safe place. We want to belong to a group who looks out for one another. We long for a protector who not only wards off those who would do us harm, but also cares about us and for us. There is such a place and such a person.

As soon as you tell people the church is the place to seek protection and belonging, you may experience a scornful retort about all the things done wrong by church members. It doesn’t matter the percentage of those events is a minute percentage and very rare when compared to other organizations and all the good the church does. The excuse is used so they don’t have to commit to something larger than this world.

We are often like that aren’t we? We are willing to commit to local organizations, national organizations, or world-wide organizations, but we don’t want to commit to one that is larger than this world. Does it scare us? Are we afraid of change? There can be any number of excuses.

Regardless of our lack of desire to belong to the Church, Jesus’ Body, God continues to seek us out. He seeks to find those who are willing to accept His grace. He longs to rescue every person and does those who are willing to be rescued. There will come a time when He gathers all those He has rescued to live together forever with Him.

You are being pursued by God. He will go take all measures necessary to convince you to accept His salvation. He will use other people and situations. He will put obstacles in your way to steer you down the path to Him. He will meet you where you are to hand you the invitation. He will welcome you right where you are. Yet He won’t leave you there. He will take you down the path He wants you to go. He will lead you to His green pasture. He will provide the protection and care you so deeply long for.

I pray we all accept God’s grace. I pray we accept His invitation to follow Him into His green pasture. I pray each one of us chooses to follow the path God wants us to follow. Accept God’s invitation. Accept God’s grace. Follow Him. Go along the path He desires for you.

Ezekiel 24:11-12 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.”

Gone Astray

Have you ever gone astray? Have you gone down a bad road for a time and made a conscious choice to return to the good road? Are you going down the wrong path now and looking for a way to get back on the right path?

We make many choices as we go through our lives. In fact, we make many choices each day. Some choices are not very impactful, while others are extremely important. Some choices are made habitually, and others require time to evaluate the options and time to think.

We can make some small choices that add up. One small misstep here and another there can start us down a path of destruction. Unfortunately, we often blow off those small missteps as a “one time” occurrence, believing they won’t happen again. Therein lies the illusion Satan wants us to believe. He uses our willingness to believe the “little white lie” to pull us one step at a time away from the path God wants us to walk.

Here is the good news—we can choose to step back on the right path. It isn’t typically an easy thing to do. It requires making the tough choice to change our actions, behaviors, and thought processes. It may require us to disassociate from people we call friends. It may require us to give up habits we like. It may require us to ask for forgiveness from someone we have offended. It will definitely require us to rely on God to help us.

God has provided us with His Spirit to guide us. When we ask with an earnest heart and listen for Him, He will guide us. He often guides us without our asking. It’s that small voice inside us that tells us the right thing to do. It’s the nudging to go in specific direction. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Will we listen and follow?”

We can choose to step onto the path God has prepared for us. When we have and we have spent a significant amount of time on that path, we can look back and see the destructive path we were on. It takes reflection to both recognize the path we are currently on and to review the various paths we have been on. It is through reflection that we learn more about ourselves, how Satan has tripped us up, and how God has been working in our lives.

I pray we all spend some time reflecting on our lives. I pray we make the choice to follow the path God has prepared for us. I pray each one of us listens for and follows the Holy Spirit’s guidance. See the path you are on. Choose God’s path. Reflect on your life. Make a positive change. Follow the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Follow Me

Do you worry about others? Are you jealous of how others are blessed? Do you ask God, “Why them and not me?” Do you realize what attitude that question reveals about you? Are you willing to change the way you think?

Our culture has become so self-centered we don’t even recognize it anymore. If we hear of someone who does one nice thing, we think they are an unselfish person. Unfortunately, we see people doing those things to be recognized for their good deed, they are looking for their ten minutes of fame.

Rare is the person who isn’t looking for people to recognize them for something. Even more rare is the person who doesn’t long for something someone else has. We yearn for more. We work long hours for more money to buy more stuff. We ignore our families for material things. We work out of jealousy rather than out of love.

We see in today’s passage Peter asking about John. This is after Jesus has broken the bad news to Peter that he will become a martyr, but he is to follow Jesus anyway. Peter wants to know about John. He wants to know if John will be a martyr, and if not, why not. Notice Jesus’ reply. In effect, He tells Peter to not worry about John nor Jesus’ plans for him, but to follow Him.

How often are we like Peter? How often do we wonder why God has chosen us for an unpleasant task and not someone else? We look around and point out someone else. Moses did the same thing when God chose him to go back to Egypt. Yet, God won out and Moses did as He was told.

Perhaps we should spend less time trying to convince God to use someone else and simply do what God has told us to do. Perhaps we should spend our energy on God’s tasks rather than making excuses or dreaming up reasons not to. Perhaps we should believe that God has a good reason for tasking it to us rather than someone else. Perhaps we might learn something from God, if we follow Him.

I pray we all choose to follow God’s instructions. I pray we stop worrying about how God is using someone else. I pray each one of us follows the plan God has for us. Stop making excuses. Start following God’s plan. Choose to trust Him. Believe He knows what he is doing.

John 21:21-22 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”