What Does Your Belief in Jesus Look Like?

What Does Your Belief in Jesus Look Like?

 

We believe that Jesus Christ was with God the Father from the beginning of eternity and is part of the Trinity. (John 1:1)  That His appearance as Savior had been prophesied for centuries.  (Isaiah 9:6-7) And we believe that He came to save the world from sin. (John 3:16-17)  These are historical and traditional main beliefs of Christ’s Church. 

 

We believe from Scripture that Jesus went about performing miraculous deeds and healing the sick.  If we had been alive then we could have seen Him raise the dead.  And watch as He healed the sick. 

 

We believe that He died for us in the past and that He gives us eternal life in the future. It is comfortable to relegate Jesus to the past and to the future.  We can still keep Him at arms length that way!  And keep our faith in Jesus as a nice intellectual or traditional belief system.  We can stay in control that way and feel good about ourselves!  But Jesus doesn’t want to keep His relationship with us intellectual or distant.  He wants to get up close and personal with us.  He wants us to make room for Him in our hearts right now in the present?  

 

He calls us and keeps on calling us –keeps on knocking at the door of our heart!  Keeps on wanting in!  It is our call whether we let Him in or not!  Scripture says:  “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him or her, and he or she will eat with Me.” (Revelations 3:10)  Jesus desires to come into our lives and be with us - share with us – lead us.  Will we answer the call?  Say “yes” to His invitation?  Let Him in?  Things will never be the same if we do!  

 

Scripture says that Jesus will be here with us now if we open to Him.  He says He will never leave us or forsake us.  We believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world.   But do we believe that He is our here and now personal Savior?  Do we know we belong to Him?  Has our belief become an intimate possession?  Do we give Him our doubts and fears?  Our hopes and dreams?  Do we leave our problems with Him?  Do we know that He will ultimately overcome evil in the world? 

 

Do we let Him guide our lives – obey His Word?  Do we take time to pray and to listen for His voice?  He communes with us and dines with us and loves us with all His heart.  Do we enjoy sharing and dining with Him?  Do we love Him back with all our hearts?

 

To believe in Jesus is to commit to following Him –to obey – to wait for His leading.  Some of us only give Him part of our lives.  Part of our love. That isn’t good enough.   He wants it all!  Scripture says we are like sheep and we wander off each in our own direction.  There are so many paths to take in life and many of them lead to harmful and dangerous places.

 

 Scripture says that our Shepherd, - Jesus - wants to lead us (His sheep) off of the bad paths and onto the good paths.  He has good plans for us.  We were created to do good works in Him. (Ephesians 2:10)  If we plan our lives on our own we will stumble off onto paths that lead to nowhere because we don’t know the way.  But Scripture says that Jesus is the Way, (John 14:6) so to believe in Jesus is to let Him be our Way.

 

Wherever Jesus goes, drama goes.  When we read the Bible we find something powerful happening wherever Jesus went.  And often things would get messy.  People were either healed and transformed by Him or they would hate Him and plot to kill Him.  People were blessed and transformed by Him because Jesus is the “Life”.  (John 14:6)  And His abundant life means action and victory.  And Jesus is also called the “Light”.(John 14:6)   And the light is always a threat to those who love the darkness.

 

Our faith in Jesus is very valuable.  We belong to the “kingdom of heaven” when we believe in Christ.  Scripture compares the kingdom of heaven to a pearl of great price.  When a merchant looking for the most beautiful pearl finds it he goes out and sells everything he has so that he can purchase it.  And Scripture also compares the kingdom of heaven which is ours through Christ, to a great treasure hidden in a field.  When a person finds this treasure she sells all she has so that she can buy the field.  (Matthew 13:44-46)

 

We are kingdom people when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  And our place in the kingdom is worth more than any other pursuit and requires our greatest love.  We should be ready to forsake any personal goal that hinders us from entering into the kingdom.  Follow Christ in the faith as He calls us to love and forgive one another.  And stay away from any teaching or activity or sin that would compromise or water down our precious faith.  

 

We are coming to the end of the year now. Another year has come and gone.  Scripture says: “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare: before they spring into being I announce them to you.”  (Isaiah 42:9)  Let’s ask God to convict us in areas of our lives from this last year that need to change.  And let’s follow our Lord Jesus Christ into the New Year and into the new things that He has for us to do!