Who Is This Jesus?

“Who is this Jesus?,” asks one line of dialogue in our Easter drama, This Day of Resurrection. That single question is a life-changing question that every one of us must consider.

Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew 16:13, speaking of himself, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They answered that others though he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then Jesus made the question personal in Matthew 16:15, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

That was Peter’s belief. A man who lived with Jesus, following him as his disciple for three years - day in, day out, observing his every action & hearing his every word - Peter believed Jesus was God’s One & Only Son, the one way Savior of Humanity from our sins.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one & only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And if you believe in Jesus as the Son of God & Savior of your sins you are not condemned. John 3:18 goes on, “but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one & only son.”

So, even today, each & every person who lives has a decision to make. A personal decision. A life-changing decision. Who is this Jesus? Do you believe He is God’s Son or not? Do you believe you have sinned, falling short of God’s plan & need the free gift of salvation God offers?

The question is not, who do other people think Jesus is, but who do I believe he is? 

He is either Liar, Lunatic, or Lord. If Jesus is not Lord, then there are only two alternatives.

If he were a liar, then he’d be a hypocrite for teaching truthfulness while deliberately deceiving his followers. Furthermore, being a liar doesn’t coincide with the results of his life & teachings. Someone who lived as Jesus lived, taught as Jesus taught, & died as Jesus died can’t be a liar.

If Jesus is not a liar, could he have thought himself to be God by mistake? Was he crazy, a lunatic? He could be both sincere & wrong. He’d be deluded & self-deceived, but someone with such abnormalities and imbalance could not teach & live so genuinely before so many people.

If he is not a liar or a lunatic, then he must be Lord. This is not a passing, philosophical argument for your consideration, but a question of eternal life & death. John 20:31 says, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name.” Eternal life or death hangs in the balance with this question. 

The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life,” (Romans 6:23). All you have to do is confess your sins - all the wrong you have ever done, violations of God’s law - and receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” promises John 1:12.

Years later, when writing the book we know as 1 Peter, Peter recorded in 1:18-21, "It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you beleive in God, who raised him from the dead & glorified him, and so your faith & hope are in God."

God gave you Jesus in order that you might have a personal, saving relationship with Him. God loves you & wants you to settle the question, Who is this Jesus?, with the answer, "He is my Lord & Savior."

To make that decision you can pray a simple prayer like this: God, I know I have sinned, but I know you will forgive me. I believe Jesus is Lord as he said. I want to make him Lord of my life. Thank you for forgiving me & making me your child forever. Amen.

Share a comment of who Jesus is to you. Or, if you offered the prayer above, please let me know.

Taking Color

"He is evidently a man who takes color from his surroundings."

So said Theodore Roosevelt of William Howard Taft in 1910. You can read it in Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris.

Taft had become the object of Roosevelt's ire. As his successor to the White House in 1908, Roosevelt envisioned Taft continuing to move his own dear policies and reforms forward. Taft did not meet Roosevelt's expectations. And, as anyone who crossed the iconic Roosevelt in politics knew, Teddy's shun was stronger than his embrace. Gregarious and a lover of thoughts and ideals, Roosevelt was also a bulldog political fighter. His opponents were to pay. Even with their political lives. Roosevelt was "The Man in the Ring."

Dear Taft, not of poor character or intelligence, capable and accomplished of his own right, suffered from a fatal flaw during his presidency: He was not Theodore Roosevelt. Not so bold. Not so charismatic. Not so cocksure. Pity any man in any arena to follow a star so bright as Teddy. Such was Taft's blessing and curse.

And, as Roosevelt saw it, Taft no longer closely influenced by him was now adrift and aimless while occupying the most powerful seat in the world. Squandering the presidency of the United States of America.

"He is evidently a man who takes color from his surroundings," may be true of any of us.

President or pauper. Boss or worker. Man or woman. Experienced or novice. Old or young.

How firmly will we hold our convictions?

How courageously will keep our commitments?

How quickly will we change our colors?

PRN

PRN

Initials?  Someone's, I am sure.

Acronym?  Yes.

What does it mean, then?

Does it mean, "Pretty Registered Nurse"?  No.  I have one at my house. But, no, that is not what it means.

How about, "Purple Registered Nurse"?  Some wear purple scrubs you know.  Nice try, but it has nothing to do with Registered Nurses no matter the "P" that come first.

PRN is an acronym for the Latin phrase "Pro re nata."

It literally means "in the circumstances" & is commonly translated "as needed."  Medical professionals - like the pretty Registered Nurse I am married to - use it most often for medications to be taken or applied as needed.

It's nice to have the meds you need available PRN, but I wonder, how many of us only relate to God PRN?

All Flop

Our toaster - I don't know about yours - has an interesting feature.

When it's not plugged in & you put in a slice of bread & push down the handle, it flops the bread right back atcha.

Unplugged, our toaster is all flop & no pop.

It won't toast without the power.

It won't even keep slices down.

Are you living with all flop & no pop?

What's your power supply?

Jesus declared, "All authority has been given to me," in Matthew 28:18.  Authority is the power to act.  He's got all of it.  He'll use it for you.  If you seek him.

Are you plugged in to Jesus?

• If you do not have a personal, saving relationship with Jesus, then click here to learn more.

• If you do know Jesus as Savior, then ask yourself if you are plugged into & relying on him.

And, leave a comment below, did you go try the flop/pop thing out on your toaster?  I wanna know.

It Smells like Christmas

Christmas decorations have all but disappeared from my home.  Just our plain old house with the regular 365 day a year furnishings.  None of the decorations of a glorious month of celebration remain.  Packed once more into plastic totes in the garage.  Awaiting their return to the attic.  Until next December.

No garland.  Lighted & strung with ribbons of red & gold.  No Nativities.  Reminding us always of God's love through Jesus.  No tree.  Live Frasier Fir covered with heirlooms & history, whimsy & joy.

It makes these January days seem colder still.  Emptier. Less colorful.  Even Scroogey. 

The decor of Christmas - beautiful reminders of wonder - is gone 'til next year.

But there is one place you can go in my home & still know Christmas.  Not where you might expect.  Out of the way.  And just for a while.

The storage closet.  At the bottom of the basement stairs.  It smells like Christmas.

Our vacuum resides there.  It's bag filled with fallen fir needles.  Aromatic indeed.  A reminder of Christmas.

What about you?

As you launch into a new year - full of dreams & hopes, promises & resolutions - is your life a reminder of Christmas?

Year-round - not just one shinning month - does the world see the Savior in you?  Do they hear his grace in your speech?  Do they see his forgiveness in your eyes?  Do they receive his gifts from your hands?  Do they receive his life through yours?

Does your life smell like Christmas?