Who is Jesus to you?
This is a question i had never really taken time to ponder over till very very recently when a dear friend was used by God as an instrument to teach me more about the bible.
Before, i would go through all the motions yes. Sing all the songs, quote some of the scripture like John 3:16 fervently but without really understanding why. I used to see people weep in church and i wondered if they were just showing off or if my heart was different. What was so touching that would make other people cry and my eyes stay dry? What was I not getting?
So of recent God asked me to put all aside and really take the time to understand Him. God told me it was okay to have a searching heart and when i asked questions and took time to listen, He answered.I realised some truths that made me understand why people cry and which also broke my heart!
God is perfectly Holy! He is too Holy that He cannot tolerate sin. It is His nature. (Lev 20:26; Lev 21:8;Isaiah 17:7;Rev15:4) Only one sin sent Adam and Eve away from His presence. Just one! So we can understand that He is a pure God and has zero tolerance for sin.
But He made man in His image and he did not desire that man die. We were created for His glory. To enjoy fellowship with Him, to live in perfect harmony with God and He gave us authority and dominion over all creatures. But what happened? We sinned and invited death in our lives.The perfect relationship we enjoyed with God was broken. Immediately we sinned, we immediately died spiritually and eventually physically.
But God LOVED us too much to let that relationship die...For God so LOVED the WOrld......Can you imagine a relationship where two people are hurting? Maybe a spouse has hurt another and they have drifted apart. But one would love the other so much even though he/she knows they are right, because of that love they have for the other person, they would try to restore that relationship back. That is just my own little feeble and grossly inadequate comprehension of God's love. We love Him because He loved us first! Even though we wronged Him, He reached out to us. Throughout the bible we see Him continually reaching out to us with love.
So God wanted us back. But because of His nature, we could not enter into His presence anymore. Whatever accusations the devil had against us could stand because we were sinners. How could we get back into His presence? Only if we were righteous. And was it to be ours? No...but the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
And Jesus accepted to be the veil. He accepted to stand int he gap and be that bridge through which we could reach out again to our God. So that He could not be tainted by the sin of Adam, He came into this world sinless and was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He lived a sinless life. He was human like us and He was tempted. He knew He had a mission to achieve. He had a goal. He was to be the saviour of the world. For as God rejected man because of one man's sin, so God could accept man back because of one man's righteousness.And I can just imagine when other young men were out drinking, dancing, or having all sorts of fun, Jesus was preparing himself, to do what only someone dying for love for you could do. He was preparing himself to die for us sinless.
Jesus had His eyes on Heaven. He knew what awaited Him. He knew He was the link for us to be reconciled back to God.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
He could have given up. He even prayed to the Father to take away the suffering from Him. But then He submitted to the will of God. Jesus was spat on, abused, nailed to the cross and died for us!
And when He died...what happened? Death had nothing to accuse Him of. What are the wages of sin? (Romans 6:23) It is death! But Jesus had no sin, so death could not keep Him prisoner. And because of the sacrifice He made, we were reconciled back to God. His blood shed was the veil we could use to once more stand in God's presence. For God does not see us anymore, but sees our new selves redeemed by the blood of His son Jesus.
That is not all...when He rose again...He showed us the way. A straight path up to Heaven following Him.Jesus is the way, the truth and the life!
It is not a good heart that will take you to heaven. How could you measure how good your heart is? Compared to whose?
It is not generosity that will take you to Heaven. How can you measure generosity?
It is not works that will take you to Heaven? Who or what is your measuring rod?
Joh 14:5
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And then i finally understood why people cried and also a bit of that famous scripture which is inscribed in my heart: John 3:16 : For GOd so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"
Thank you God for loving me.
Who is Jesus to you?
This is a question i had never really taken time to ponder over till very very recently when a dear friend was used by God as an instrument to teach me more about the bible.
Before, i would go through all the motions yes. Sing all the songs, quote some of the scripture like John 3:16 fervently but without really understanding why. I used to see people weep in church and i wondered if they were just showing off or if my heart was different. What was so touching that would make other people cry and my eyes stay dry? What was I not getting?
So of recent God asked me to put all aside and really take the time to understand Him. God told me it was okay to have a searching heart and when i asked questions and took time to listen, He answered.I realised some truths that made me understand why people cry and which also broke my heart!
God is perfectly Holy! He is too Holy that He cannot tolerate sin. It is His nature. (Lev 20:26; Lev 21:8;Isaiah 17:7;Rev15:4) Only one sin sent Adam and Eve away from His presence. Just one! So we can understand that He is a pure God and has zero tolerance for sin.
But He made man in His image and he did not desire that man die. We were created for His glory. To enjoy fellowship with Him, to live in perfect harmony with God and He gave us authority and dominion over all creatures. But what happened? We sinned and invited death in our lives.The perfect relationship we enjoyed with God was broken. Immediately we sinned, we immediately died spiritually and eventually physically.
But God LOVED us too much to let that relationship die...For God so LOVED the WOrld......Can you imagine a relationship where two people are hurting? Maybe a spouse has hurt another and they have drifted apart. But one would love the other so much even though he/she knows they are right, because of that love they have for the other person, they would try to restore that relationship back. That is just my own little feeble and grossly inadequate comprehension of God's love. We love Him because He loved us first! Even though we wronged Him, He reached out to us. Throughout the bible we see Him continually reaching out to us with love.
So God wanted us back. But because of His nature, we could not enter into His presence anymore. Whatever accusations the devil had against us could stand because we were sinners. How could we get back into His presence? Only if we were righteous. And was it to be ours? No...but the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
And Jesus accepted to be the veil. He accepted to stand int he gap and be that bridge through which we could reach out again to our God. So that He could not be tainted by the sin of Adam, He came into this world sinless and was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He lived a sinless life. He was human like us and He was tempted. He knew He had a mission to achieve. He had a goal. He was to be the saviour of the world. For as God rejected man because of one man's sin, so God could accept man back because of one man's righteousness.And I can just imagine when other young men were out drinking, dancing, or having all sorts of fun, Jesus was preparing himself, to do what only someone dying for love for you could do. He was preparing himself to die for us sinless.
Jesus had His eyes on Heaven. He knew what awaited Him. He knew He was the link for us to be reconciled back to God.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
He could have given up. He even prayed to the Father to take away the suffering from Him. But then He submitted to the will of God. Jesus was spat on, abused, nailed to the cross and died for us!
And when He died...what happened? Death had nothing to accuse Him of. What are the wages of sin? (Romans 6:23) It is death! But Jesus had no sin, so death could not keep Him prisoner. And because of the sacrifice He made, we were reconciled back to God. His blood shed was the veil we could use to once more stand in God's presence. For God does not see us anymore, but sees our new selves redeemed by the blood of His son Jesus.
That is not all...when He rose again...He showed us the way. A straight path up to Heaven following Him.Jesus is the way, the truth and the life!
It is not a good heart that will take you to heaven. How could you measure how good your heart is? Compared to whose?
It is not generosity that will take you to Heaven. How can you measure generosity?
It is not works that will take you to Heaven? Who or what is your measuring rod?
Joh 14:5
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And then i finally understood why people cried and also a bit of that famous scripture which is inscribed in my heart: John 3:16 : For GOd so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"
Thank you God for loving me.
Who is Jesus to you?
