Why I Love Jesus

Today, I began to think about certain things, and I thought this may be a good time to strengthen my own faith by re-assessing the reasons why I love Jesus so much. In an effort to bless you with my own reasons and start up a trend of declarations of reasons for our love for Jesus, I have decided to write today’s post.

It is important to remind one’s self of these things, because Jesus had to remind Himself of the purpose and expected end-result of His death in order for Him to carry on with His task: “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” [Hebrews 12:2]. You see, even Jesus had to remind Himself of the joy that would follow [the joy of seeing us become God’s vision] in order to endure the cross and the shame of it.

I sincerely hope you are inspired and blessed by my reasons for loving Jesus so much that you search out your reasons [and possibly share them with us].

Only He truly knows me. I thank God for the friends that I have and the awesome family He has blessed me with. In fact, I dare say that I am surrounded by some of the best people anyone could ever want for friends in this world. But, none of them knows me like Jesus does. And, I cannot expect them to do so. You need to understand that He knows what I like, what I don’t like, the things that inspire me, the things that hurt me, the things that make me angry, my aspirations, my hopes, and my dreams more than anyone else. He knows the things that make me unique. That’s why only He can speak those ever so soothing words that are sure to combat any raging thoughts, confusion, or hurt that men may throw at me. He knows how much more than an expensive gift of shallow worth I esteem a sincere hug. He made me, so no one can ever know me like He does. I love Him for that!

He first loved me. This, I learned from the man to whom I owe my aliases – St. John the Divine [1 John 4:19]. I have thought about the life of the man that died with Christ out of whose death I was born – the man that many know as the ‘old man’, otherwise known as “who I was before I got born again”. I may not have been the worst sinner, but my righteousness was definitely not taking me anywhere. I lived a life that I knew did not completely match up with God’s desire. Yet, even then, He loved me. When I made mistakes, He loved me. When I regretted my mistakes and hoped someone would understand and help me get up, only He [Jesus] was there to pick me up, wipe away my tears, and speak those ever so soothing words that set me on my way. Only He knew how much mess I truly had and was willing to deal with it. Like an orphan child, lost and disoriented, who fell into a ditch [or gutter] and began looking for people to help him clean up, I searched for hope. Door after door, no help came, till I found one who not only welcomed me for a clean-up, but had also prepared for me a new life in His wealth and love. Do you see now why I can’t stop talking about Him?

His “not-so-beautiful” hands. Jesus’ hands still have holes in them from those big Roman nails with which He was nailed to the cross - all for me. You see, His hands are not the most beautiful to behold; don’t imagine the holes in there as perfect circles. No! The nails ‘tore’ His hands; they did not ‘construct’ matching circles into them. Plus, the holes in His hands must have stretched to become ‘uglier’ due to the weight of His body pulling on them as He hung from the cross. His hands are not so pretty, just for me. You had better believe that He still has those holes in His hands till today [John 20:26-27]. Here’s a story I heard very recently that I can’t get out of my mind. A young girl was always embarrassed by her mother’s ‘ugly’ hands – so embarrassed that she always begged her mother not to show her hands when her friends came around. Every time she said this, her mother cried, until one day when her mother sat her down for a story. “My hands have not always been so ugly” she said to her daughter. “In fact, they were once like yours” she continued. “One day, when you were very little, there was a fire in the house and you were the only one left at home. While I was trying to rescue you, because the fire was already so great, my hands got burned. You see, my hands are the way they are because of you; these are the hands that saved you”, said her mother. Upon hearing those words, the girl fell on her knees with tears in her eyes, saying “Mother, you have the most beautiful hands anyone could possibly have”, realizing that she owed her life to those hands. In the same way, those “not-so-beautiful” hands of Jesus’ are beautiful to me today, because they are the proof that He sincerely cares about me.

Many people have told me in my life that they care about me, but only one person has proved it more than anyone else and that person is Jesus. He proved it by giving up His own life so that I may live. He took sickness, bad habits, sin, poverty, confusion, failure, and death on Himself so that I will never have to experience them. Don’t you think He deserves my love and unwavering devotion? He went to hell – that horrible place of darkness – so I will never have to go there. Is He not worthy of all of me? Even if no one follows Him with me, I will continue. Why? I will continue, because He went to the cross rejected and alone.

Like Paul, I have now “suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” [Philippians 3:7]. Now, you know why it seems like we Christians have no life; it is because we are no longer permitted to live as unto ourselves. Except one were an ingrate, the only fitting thing to do for someone else who gave His life for one will be to live as unto the one that gave His life [2 Corinthians 5:15]. That’s why I love Him so!

Please, share with us the reason(s) why you love Jesus; you may never know who will be blessed by your testimony. As you share your testimony in the comment section below, enjoy the following video. God bless you!

The Purpose-Driven Life

“let us run with patience the race that is set before us” [Hebrews 12:1b]

Purpose is an ever so deep and immense subject, especially when we deal with God’s Word. In fact, I believe that it is one of those defining attributes that separate the Christian from the unbeliever. As such, something would be terribly wrong if a Christian did not have a working knowledge of the rudimentary aspects of this subject. Thus, the theme of this week’s blog post!

In the opening scripture and some other supporting passages, Paul made it clear that each one of us has a race that is set before us. There is a God-given purpose for everyone on the earth’s surface which was handpicked by our sovereign Father, God. However, due to culture, media, and other societal influences, some of us have thought certain purposes or career paths to be more prestigious than others. In a sense, we have taken it upon ourselves to find out what we would like to do for God or man, that purpose which will be esteemed by men. More or less, we have written our own source code, blueprint, or master plan for our lives. But, does the potter not have power over the clay? [Romans 9:21]

In 2 Timothy 2:20 – 21, Paul recounts the same story of the potter and the clay that he had mentioned in Romans 9. One thing it took me a long time to understand in those passages is that the idea was not in what the vessels were made of – gold, silver, wood, or earth – it is up to God to determine what he would make us into. Instead, the focus is on the next part of that same 2 Timothy 2 which says “if a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor…meet for the master’s use.” I had grown up thinking it would be terrible to be a vessel of wood while some people were vessels of gold. But, I’m sure that thought was not restricted to me alone. Many have thought the same thing without recognizing it. Oh, how much better it’ll be to be a doctor than a teacher, they may think to themselves. On the outside, being a doctor looks more glamorous [depending on where one lives], so we can count it as that vessel of silver or gold. On the other hand, teachers may be looked down upon or regarded as poor where we come from, so automatically they are vessels of wood. But, Paul was trying to stress the fact that, regardless of what material you were made of, as long as you purge yourself, you’ll be fit for the master’s use. Sadly, many people are not concerned about the master’s use or fulfilling His purpose; instead, they would give all to have men’s fleeting praise.

Look at John the Baptist and Jesus, for example. It was, or so it seemed, that Jesus had a more glamorous ministry than John’s. However, it was the perfect will of the Father for both of them to fulfill their ministries the way they did. According to what men could observe, John came fasting and Jesus came eating; yet, it was God’s will for it to be so [Matthew 11:18-20]. In our eyes today, some people may prefer the Jesus-ministry to the John-ministry. You may even think “who wants to eat locust and wild honey?”Happy are you if you have either ministry. Rejoice with great joy, but refrain from criticizing those with the other ministry. Say for example, you have a Jesus-type calling into something seemingly prestigious like becoming President of a nation, refuse to look down on other believers who have been called to clean the nation’s inner cities. They may be fulfilling their calling as well as you.  John was trained by God and filled with the HolyGhost from his mother’s womb only to carry out six months of ministry, after which he was beheaded. And, it pleased the Father [and John] that it should be so.

When time came for John to leave the limelight as the Prophet of the time for Jesus, he did not argue or act in pride, but he said “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” [John 3:30]. There was not much written about John in the Bible, but he fulfilled His purpose so well that he received the Master’s commendation – “among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” [Matthew 11:11]. I am convinced that if people knew that the commendation of Jesus is more valuable than what any man could give, they’ll work towards His commendation alone. But, many people are too fleshly (ruled by their physical senses of sight, touch, and so on) to relate with a spiritual purpose in God.

Jesus did nothing that God had not planned for Him by prophecy. In fact, He said "Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God" [Hebrews 10:7]. In Gethsemane, he restated His desire to fulfill the will of the Father even against His request to the Father to let ‘the cup’ pass from Him. The Apostle Paul, also, knew that He was sent to preach to the Gentiles [non-Jews]. He was so sure about it that no one could have convinced him otherwise. The Master specifically said concerning Paul “he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles” [Acts 9:15], and Paul himself said “unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” [Ephesians 3:8]. That is why Paul could later say that he did not fight as one that beats the air [or fights aimlessly], but as one that knows his purpose.

With all that has been mentioned, you need to find out your own purpose and run with it without looking back. Talk to God by yourself; the moment you say “yes” to His purpose, He’ll begin to show you glory that you never thought possible. He’ll take care of whatever challenges or setbacks you may think you have. Clean your mind of all your preconceived notions about what purpose is best, and allow Him to fill you with what was written in ‘the volume of the book’ concerning you. Don’t be absorbed in someone else’s calling. When Peter tried to find out Jesus’ purpose for John, the answer was simple – “what is that to thee”? Jesus was telling him that it was not his business. More than ever before, in our generation, we need to run with purpose. If we are to carry out prophecies concerning us that we will cover the earth with the gospel of Christ, everyone must stand in his own position – without breaking ranks. Imagine an army where everyone thinks he or she is the commander. What confusion that would be?

What do you think about this subject? I’ll be expecting your comment. God bless you!