So this is my attempt at a follow-up on what I love about
Jesus. To be honest, writing this feels a little presumptuous. Christ is
infinitely deserving of love, worship, and obedience regardless of what I might
say about Him. But since the purpose of my blog is to “admire Christ,” I record
these thoughts while admitting that they aren't even close to doing Him
justice.
I love Christ for many reasons, and among them are: His
words; His character; His identity; and His impact. I’ll take one of these at a
time for the next few posts.
I first came to love Christ because of His words.
When I became a Christian at age 15, all I knew about
Christianity was that I was miserable, lonely, and lost, and that Jesus
had come to die for my sins. I knew that by trusting Him, God would forgive me
and give me a new life. That was my starting point as a Christian. The next steps
in my journey came from reading Jesus’ words.
Someone gave me a version of the Bible that had Christ’s words in red. So when I came to the red parts, I paid special attention. I had never read anything that so filled me with wonder and longing and hope. Some parts I read over and over until I had memorized them.
For example, Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
I wasn't sure what Jesus’ “yoke” might mean, but I felt Jesus somehow knew my burdens and would help me. “Rest for your souls” sounded
almost too good to be true.
Or Mark 10:27. Jesus
looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all
things are possible with God.” When I read and re-read these words, faith
welled up within me. Whatever my problems, I began to believe that Jesus could
overcome them.
Another passage I read over and over was the story of Jesus’
calming the storm in Mark 4. (I've written about it several times: here, here,
and here). You’ll remember Jesus was asleep on a boat as He and His disciples sailed
across the Sea of Galilee. A terrible storm arose, threatening to engulf them.
I always loved getting to v. 39: And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to
the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
A great calm. How
many times have I read that story and felt His peace come over me!
No one ever spoke like Jesus. No words have ever touched the heart, stretched the mind, or fired the will like His. And of course it's not just ink on a page. They are living words from a living Savior.
Remember the two men on the road to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday? They didn't recognize Jesus at first. But after He revealed Himself, they said, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32). I know exactly what they meant.
Remember the two men on the road to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday? They didn't recognize Jesus at first. But after He revealed Himself, they said, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32). I know exactly what they meant.
