Who is Jesus to me?

In this world where people cast doubt and try to discredit the Bible, I reflect on who Jesus Christ is to me.

You see, many can cast doubt on Him and disparage the Words that He spoke, however, the fact is God is big enough to work through men and women of error to reveal his authentic Son and introduce us to the truth. Otherwise, He’s not God.

1. Jesus Christ is my Savior.

He hears my cries. When I get down on my knees in the morning, I have no doubt that it is He that listens to my prayers whether they are uttered aloud or in the quiet of my heart.

1 I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:1-2

All of the burdens and struggles of life. All of my worries. All of the things that seem to heavy to bear, my Jesus Christ hears and relieves my worried soul. This is more than experiential, this is a very real happening.

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

He saves me from my worries and struggles. Corrie ten Boom says that,

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it only empties today of its strength.”

To truly not be able to worry is to be able to give that worry to the God who Sees and know that it is in His hands.

Jesus Christ also saves me from my sins. Sin is an ugly word in our society that wants to cast all acts of humankind in a massive gray area. Unfortunately, it has been made worse by the fact that there are Christians out there who are cosmic killjoys and cast all kinds of things as sin which are not. I, personally, cannot stand legalism. I know that there is a right and wrong as defined by God’s word. I also know that Jesus is going to be the judge of all mankind, that is not my place or my calling.

2 Timothy 4:1
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom.

Luke 6:42
Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Here, Jesus is not condemning the fact that the brother has a “speck” in his eye, (or “small amount of sin.”) Indeed, no sin is acceptable to God. However, he is condemning the self appointed “judge” from daring to look at a brother when their own sin is right in front of their face.

As a Christian I am to be joyful, happy, and serving others. I am to be in a constant process of self examination and renewal of my mind as I seek God in His word. I will enjoy to the fullest God’s gifts to me and not get sidetracked in foolish debates.

The core of the Bible is a revelation of God and His Son Jesus Christ. They are real and more real than the book which talks of them. It is a reality that no charlatan casting stones at the Bible can truly understand.

2. Jesus Christ is my best friend

When I was a little child and left out at school and hurt by other kids, here is what I wrote that happened:

And – in her room at night – she’d open her Bible and read of her Saviour. He was a “man of sorrows.” Enemies hung on his every word looking for their next point of contention with him. This man – this Jesus knew what it felt like to be alone – to be made fun of even in church. To be left out and not fit in. He understands. He knows.

And snuggled under her covers beside a small lamp in the darkness — they met in conversation, talked about their day, and became best friends.

Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with sufferings. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed Him not.”

Quoted from my December Entry, Left Out.

There is no way to separate me from my Saviour, Jesus. He has been there with me every moment of every day. I have moved away from Him, but He has never pulled away from me. He has been steadfast as I have doubted, struggled, questioned, rejoiced, and even gotten angry.

2 Chronicles 16:9a
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Oh, to be found loyal! To actually serve and do right!

As I grow older and become more widely read, the variety of human opinion is astounding. However, the variety of my human experience is the answer to the question that permeates the earth about God’s existence. In the variety of the human experience that is my life, I have found one thing to be most true:

God has never left me nor forsaken me. God has never abandoned me. God has always answered me when I turned to Him with all of my heart. Jesus Christ is always there and has never forsaken me. He has always been true to who He is in the Bible. God never fails. God never wastes a day of my life. God’s love is immeasurable, immutable, and unchanging. I love Him!

I know we must be careful with experientialism for every one of me there are at least two who will say the opposite. This aligns with the “remnant” we see talked about so much in the Old Testament and I know that by following Jesus Christ that I will always be outnumbered.

For it is not in the agreement of other men that I find my faith. It is in the agreement of God Almighty.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is everything to me. Days lose their color and life loses his meaning outside of His presence.

I am reminded by the great John Howard Griffin book, Black Like Me. In this landmark book, John Howard Griffin was a white man who believed he could never understand the struggles of an African American in the late 1950’s unless he become like one. So in 1959, he darkened his skin with medication, sun lamps, and stains and traveled through the South. His book helped white people better understand the humiliation and discrimination faced daily by people of color. John Howard Griffin experienced injustice and could understand.

Jesus Christ became like us. His incarnation as a man shows us that God understands our plight.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” Isaiah 53:3

.

He is simply, everything.

Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;But we trust in the name of the LORD our God.