Who Is Jesus? part 3

Who is Jesus?  Who is Jesus to you?  In this Christmas season, we are often reminded of key passages of Scripture.  In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet declares that the virgin will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel. This prophecy was given more than 700 years before Jesus was born, and was quoted in Matthew 1:23.  Jesus is Immanuel which means God with us. 

Immanuel, God with us, God with you, God with me.  Thank you Jesus that you are with us wherever we are.  What a blessed assurance to know that you are always with us.  How comforting! The little boy with asthma and other breathing problems, through frequent emergency room visits and hospitalizations ... the expectant mom whose blood pressure skyrockets ... the one who goes to sleep while driving ... the community of Newtown ... when you are laid off your job ... through the tornadoes, hurricanes, floods ... church splits ... spouse wants out of the marriage ... young daughter pregnant ... child on drugs ... son sentenced to life without parole.  Whatever the issue in our lives, God is with us.  Jesus is Immanuel.  He never changes.  He never leaves us alone.   

Who Is Jesus? part 2

Who is Jesus?  Who is Jesus to you?  As the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut unfolded and my eyes and ears were attuned to every word and every minute detail, my thoughts ranged from "oh my God" to "Jesus help;" from "I don't believe it" to "how sick, how inhumane, how ungodly."  The next print edition of The Birmingham News devoted a full page to detailing acts of gun violence locally.  So much ... too much ... can't bear to read it all ... difficult to imagine ... hard to comprehend.  Jesus, where were you when these situations occurred? Where are you now?

In my time of seeking, I read John 1:1-14.  And I realized that Jesus is the light of the world.  Though it may appear that darkness is all around, that my world is full of darkness, that too many people seem to be filled with darkness, I needed to remember that light dispels darkness, regardless of how small the light. Jesus declared that He is the light of the world (see John 8:12).  He didn't stop there, He also declared that I am and you are the light of the world (see Matthew 5:14). Is my light shining?  How brightly?  Is your light shining?  How brightly?  In this world of darkness, we must let the light of Christ Jesus shine through us even more brightly.  Will you?  

Who Is Jesus?

 

Who is Jesus to you?  Do you identify Him by name?  By title? By occupation? By profession?  By genealogy? By heritage?  By place of birth?  By length of life? By roots?  By character?  By miracles? By parables? By spoken words?

Consider John 1:1, 2, 14.  ‎"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning.  ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us ..."

Who is Jesus to me?  At this point in my time, He is the Word.  He, Jesus, the Word was in the beginning.  When was the beginning?  Before the world was created.  And Jesus was there.  Wow!  To me, that is astounding, absolutely amazing.   So Jesus was there before the creation of the world (see John 17:5).  As the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters, God spoke the Word -- Jesus, and the creation unfolded.

Since I am made in the image of God, when I speak the Word, I can create my destiny, my future.  I can speak things that are not as though they are, and they become real in my life. Clearly, there is power in the Word. This Word I need to know.  This Jesus I need to know.

Who is Jesus to you?

Is Anything Too Hard for God? part 3

What was Joseph thinking when his brothers threw him into a pit too deep for him to escape?  What was he thinking when they sold him to foreigners who were on their way to Egypt? What was  this favorite child of his father thinking when he was sold as a slave in a foreign land? On what were his thoughts as he slept night after night in a strange place, resigning himself to never seeing his family again?  When falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, what did he think? What could Joseph have been thinking when he was unjustly imprisoned?  When he interpreted dreams for his fellow prisoners, and asked the chief cupbearer to remember him upon his release, what was this believer in God thinking?  More than two years later when the cupbearer remembered Joseph to the Pharaoh, what was Joseph thinking when he was taken from the dungeon to Pharaoh?

Were you in Joseph's place at anytime along the way, what would your thoughts have been?  Like maybe -- God, is this too hard for you?  Are you real?  Are you there?  How am I missing you? Why have you forsaken me?  Is this really too hard for you? In your present situations and circumstances, hear the answer in the question from Almighty God.  "‎I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (see Jeremiah 32:27)

Is Anything Too Hard for God? part 2

More often than I'd like, I have come to realize that I really don't fully expect that God will move in some situations in my life.  I memorize the Scriptures, I quote the Scriptures, I pray the Scriptures.  Yet, there is that part of me that believes either God can't, or he won't move on my behalf.  Sometimes, I never even ask God to help or to intervene.  I choose to believe that I am facing an impossible circumstance, and that's just the way it is.  There are occasions when I think the matter is so trivial that it doesn't warrant calling on God. Then sometimes I think an issue is the status quo.  Everybody is dealing with this issue.  God isn't changing their lives, so neither will He change mine. 

What about you?  Ever feel the same way, or have similar thoughts?

Could it be a deeply ingrained belief that some things are too hard for God?  Could it be that God raised this question with the prophet Jeremiah back then, and so it's not applicable today?   Right now, I remind myself of God's message to Jeremiah (32:27).  "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?" And I encourage you to remind yourself. Whether a little health issue or a big one ... small debt or huge debt ... minor problem or major problem ... lost a job or got a job ... nothing is too hard for God.  That's a message from God to you and to me, right now.

What Does God Ask of You? part 3

" ... what does the Lord your God ask of you but to ... love him ... ." 

(see Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

What does God ask of you but to love Him?  Simple, just love Him.  How difficult can that be?  Two words -- love Him.  That's all God asks.  Seems easy enough, but is it really?  How faithful are you to loving Him? On a scale of 0 (no faithfulness, complete self-centeredness) to 10 (perfect faithfulness, total God centeredness), rate yourself.

Here is the space for your love Him rating _____.

Your love Him rating, what does that mean?  Are you clear on what love is? How do you love Him? Surely, God has already provided answers to all your questions.  Jesus said,  "if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching."  Jesus continues, "he who does not love me will not obey my teaching."  (see John 14:23-24)  So then, your love Him rating is a factor of your obedience to His teaching.   Another way of rating could be this.  How obedient are you to His teaching?  On a scale of 0 (total disobedience to His teaching) to 10 (total obedience to His teaching), rate yourself.

Here is the space for your obedience to His teaching rating _____.

Are your two ratings the same?  Why? Why not?  How do you increase your ratings?  What would God have you do?