Jesus Is... (Entry #1)
Jesus Is... Sometimes you just have to go back to the basics. Maybe its a sport you play where you need to focus on the fundamentals, or maybe its focusing on communication in a relationship that you are in. Regardless, these fundamentals are what most everything we do is built on, so sometimes we need to go back and focus on them.I have been doing that lately, and decided I would share it through posting over the coming weeks.The fundamental (singular, not plural) is JESUS. It was and is and always be the only fundamental we need to focus on. I have re-read John recently and focused on identifying characteristics of Jesus that I can glean from and attempt to be more and more like Him, or at least be better to answer the question that used to be written on bracelets...What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD)The plan is to do a few a week, but may end up being more or less depending on my mood. As a starter this week, I will just focus on the first two I came across in my reading. Hope you enjoy the upcoming weeks and are able to learn more about Jesus as a result.Trait #1: JESUS IS THE WORDJohn 1:1-2 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."So, I felt this needed to be the first characteristic of Jesus. Not to get super in depth here, but if we realize that the Trinity means that God and Jesus are one in the same, then based on this verse Jesus is the Word. And the part that really hit me here is that John refers to "the Word" in verse 2 as "He" when he says, "He was with God in the beginning." If Jesus was (and is) the Word, that means He knew every truth and every piece of encouragement and love that we read throughout the Bible. Think about how that would change your life if you walked around with that in your head and as your focus all the time. While we may not be able to have that same mindset as Jesus did, we do have the ability to learn from and study the Word of God as a written text. This is how I have been learning about Jesus, and this is where God continues to speak to me on a daily basis. The encouragement here is that you would want to make your knowledge of God's word so high, that you can and will operate differently as Jesus did through your life. So jump in and start filling your mind and body with the truth that can only be found in the Word of God...aka:JESUS.Trait #2: JESUS IS ALL ACCEPTINGJohn 1:12 - "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"My favorite word in this verse is "ALL." It makes it clear that the choice is ours and that all you have to do is receive Christ to become children of God, and have eternal life. There is no limit as to the number of people He will accept. There is no special code or secret password you have to figure out. All you have to do is believe, and accept Jesus as God and believe that in your own heart.There are plenty of stories in the New Testament where Jesus called people to Him, and gave them the option to follow Him. Some accepted, and others didn't, for various reasons. I love that about our God, and as a result want to be the same way to those in my own life. Do I want everyone to know and love Jesus? Of course I do! But I also am not going to force it on them. I want them to see what He has done in my life, and why He is important to me, and be able to make the decision for themselves.
Related Posts: See the full "Jesus Is" Series.
Those are my two traits of Jesus for the week. I have absolutely loved discovering these throughout the book of John and expect to find more as I go back through and continue to study His life. The basics are JESUS, and that's my focus for the foreseeable future.