What does Jesus
look like? Because we ourselves are supposed to model our lives after His,
shouldn't we know what He looks like? The Jesus iiiiiiii know is kind and
gentle, but firm and convincing. The Jesus iiiii know has intimate
relationships and frank conversations. The Jesus iiiiii know is a bit
sarcastic, but never without reason, meaning and justification, and He is
doesn't do it with the intent of hurting people, He does it with the intent of
bringing awareness. The Jesus iiiii know loved without condition or judgement.
The Jesus iiii know saw all the faults and did not let them get in the way of
how He treated people. The Jesus iiiii know sat at the feet of His heavenly
Father and poured out His heart that was burdened towards hurting people. The
Jesus iiiii know got on His face before God, let God know that He didn't want
to do this, but said "Thy will be done" and died because His Father
said to. The Jesus iiiii know gave it all so that we wouldn't have to. He took
the ultimate suffering and ultimate DEATH for us, so that we only have to deal
the side-effects of our sin, and not the ultimate punishment. He did not look
at the party-goers and say "pssh, I'm too good for you. You're a bad
person, so I'm not gonna hang out with you" He did not look at the hurting
and say "I'll pray for you" and walk away without a second thought.
He did not look at the 'good people' and say "Separate yourselves from the
other heathens around you. Reprimand them, tell them they are wrong, that
you'll pray for them, then walk away." He was not a goodie-two-shoes. He
was straight forward, honest, genuine. He spoke words of love and truth. He
spoke words of forgiveness to the adulteress woman, and words of healing to the
lame, blind, and dead, as well as to the broken, battered, and bruised. He told
the pharisees straight up that He was God's son and that He could be about His
Father's business on the Sabbath. And that if He saw a need, He sure as sure
was gonna meet it, no matter WHAT day of the week it was! And meet needs He
did. He befriended the poor and the outcasts. He dined with the whores and the
thieves. He loved the loveless, fed the hungry, healed the sick, the lame, the
blind, and He taught them all, and He loved them ALL.
Do you know Him? Do you know this man, who was God incarnate? The Word
of God with flesh on. "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the
neighborhood...[Now] We all live off his generous bounty,gift after gift after
gift.We got the basics from Moses,and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
This endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the
Messiah.No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse.This one-of-a-kind
God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain
as day.John 1:14-18 Message Translation.
Do you know that the one and only Son of God, came to live a flawless,
perfect life, like He knew you never could, and He laid it down, His perfect,
Holy life for YOU. He was beaten beyond recognition, so when you got to Heaven,
you would be hidden in Christ's perfection( Colossians 3:3)--none of your sins
will catch you beyond this earth. They're all stuck here while your spirit
ascends.
Do you know that all you have to do to get into
Heaven is believe that Jesus was who He said He was? Believe that He is the one
and only Son of the One True God of the Universe, and accept Him as the God and
Leader of your life. That's your ticket in, and then you have open access to God's
ear and voice, through His Son--Jesus. Do you know, that if you do that, when
the Father in Heaven, Lord of the Universe looks upon you, He doesn't see a
sinner, or a hopeless wreck? Do you know that He looks upon you, not only with
acceptance, but with everlasting APPROVAL? He loves you and longs for a
relationship with you. And if you want to be part of that, all you have to do
is ask Him for forgiveness (it's yours for the accepting), and honestly tell
Him that you're willing to let go of the reigns, and follow His will for your
life--which is BEST! "immeasurably more than you could ever ask or
imagine!" (Ephesians 3:20)
If you want that, or have questions about it, go to someone you know who
knows Christ. Don't be embarrassed. Trust me, they will be so excited to share
it with you!!
And as for you
who do know Christ, and have accepted Him and His leadership in your life,
answer me these questions:
So what about
you? Are you being formed more and more into the likeness of Jesus, like God
intended? Do you see a need and meet it? Do you befriend the outcasts,
the sinners, the people who are not like you? Do you speak words of love and
healing? Do you reflect Christ in ALL you do, and do people see Christ in you,
even when you're having a bad day? Are you about the Father's business, even
when it's not convenient or easy for you?
And I have to ask myself the same questions every day. Do I see a need
and meet it? Do I befriend the outcasts, the sinners, the people who are not
like me? Do I speak words of love and healing? Do people see Christ when they
look at me, or just another goodie two shoes Christian who has her nose in the
air? I pray that they see Jesus Christ when they see me. I wanna be the person
people love to be around. The woman who people can count on to be honest, but
loving. Truthful, but kind. I wanna be the one who people can come to, knowing
they will not be judged. I wanna be Jesus to a hurting world. I wanna be the
person Jesus was talking about when He said "You will do even greater
things..." I WANNA DO GREATER THINGS!! Not for my glory, but for HIS. All
for His glory, I will strive to be like Jesus.
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