Category: Jesus

A Chinese preacher observed two mothers in the animal kingdom. In a forest in southeast Asia, he saw a rather large monkey with several babies piled on her back like acrobats in a circus. When she would swing from one tree to another the little monkeys would lose their grip and fall to the ground. The mother would jump down, let the little ones pile on top of her and try it again.

In a village, a mother cat was observed. When danger was sensed, she quickly put a kitten in her mouth, ran to a safe place, then went to get another. There was no way any kitten would be dropped as the mother cat hid her babies.

After sharing these stories, the preacher would ask, “Which illustration best fits our relationship to the Heavenly Father? Are we to hang on with all our might, wondering when we might fall? Or are we in a grip that cannot be broken?”

In John 10, Jesus talked about being the Good Shepherd of His sheep. Before He spoke of being a Shepherd, He claimed to be the gate for the sheep. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” Many listeners thought this Teacher had gone off the deep end. “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

But Jesus is no lunatic. He knows He is the only safe place and He wants His sheep to know they are eternally secure in Him. Only faith in Jesus brings such a position. I have learned I have no strength on my own. Without His grace, I could have never been saved and without His grace, I will not be able to finish the race. Thankfully, hope does not rest in me. Hope rests in the secure grip of a Father and Son. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 24-25

As Paul sat in his prison cell, I wonder if he had regrets. “Have I done any good? Have I wasted all my talents? Will there be any lasting fruit?” As Peter prepared to hang on a cross, I wonder if he evaluated his life as a success or a failure.

God does not view things the way we do. We look at a work of art and say, “That man used his talent in a wonderful way! He created something that will last!” But God says lasting fruit can only come one way – through His Son. These are Jesus’ words: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

The world looked at the well-educated Paul in prison and said, “What wasted talent!” But God saw one who used his talent in the wisest of ways. The world did not call Peter a success. But the Lord was proud of the fisherman who abandoned all to become a disciple of the Master. The secret of bearing lasting fruit will never be found in the world’s wisdom, but only in God’s. And Jesus is the wisdom of God.

As Jesus sees men strive to achieve and build on earth, He offers an invitation that holds the secret for true success: “Come to Me.” If we humbly come and honestly pray, “Lord, take all I am and all I have and bring forth fruit that will please the Father”… He will do it.

“Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him…” Philippians 3:7-9

Jesus’ command to ‘love one another’ sounds simple enough until one realizes how he is to love. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (Jn 15:12) When a person compares his own love to the perfect love of the Lord, he tends to go one of two directions. He either defends his imperfections and tries to justify himself or he admits his weakness and cries out for help, knowing the standard is beyond human reach.

An expert lawyer came to this place of realization after asking Jesus how to obtain eternal life. “What is written in the law?” Jesus replied. The lawyer gave a brilliant answer: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But who does this? Who loves God or his fellow man in this perfect way? If eternal life depends on following this standard, how will anyone be saved? So do we admit our need or do we try to defend ourselves? The lawyer wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” In response to this question, Jesus told the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan.

Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian who spent the last twenty years of his life in prison for his faith, taught that the meaning of this parable is our desperate need for a Savior. When I think about my life, I agree. I was on the road to destruction. I was assaulted by the enemy who hates us all. Religion came close to me, but it could not help. Though I heard the calls to try harder, I finally realized I was unable to live up to God’s perfect standards. How could I ever love God or my fellow man with this selfish heart? “What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

But just when there seemed to be no hope, a Savior came. He was a Stranger from a far place, despised and rejected by most. He showed me mercy. He knew I was helpless and He knew what I needed – so He washed me with Oil and Wine.

I can try to justify myself all day long, but without the Wine there is no justification. I can try to live up to God’s perfect law all my life, but without the Oil, there is no hope. Keith Green sang the appropriate prayer: “What can be done for an old heart like mine? Soften it up with Oil and Wine. The Oil is You – Your Spirit of Love. Please wash me anew in the Wine of Your Blood.”

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly….Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:5-9)

Some friends often go sing at a nursing home. A few days ago, I got to join them and I’m positive I saw Jesus – I’m just not sure where.

Was He in the old lady slumped in her wheelchair or was He in the aging man by her side, caring for his mother with gentle kindness? Was He in the man with no legs who asked that we sing “Sweet Hour of Prayer” or was He in the teenage boy who tenderly led the song? Was He in the four children from the same family who spread joy to the elderly or was He in their parents who have made it a practice to show compassion to those who are often forgotten? Was He in the bed-confined gentleman near the end of his life or was He in the nurse who was trying to make his final days more comfortable?

Jesus said we serve Him when we serve the least of His brethren. It is not hard to imagine the joy the Lord receives when we serve others. If someone goes to visit my elderly grandmother, I am so grateful. If someone is kind to my parents, I want to return the kindness. And if someone goes out of his way to help my children, he’ll be a friend forever. When we serve any person, we are serving one that God loves more than we can imagine. It brings God joy when we love someone He loves. And when I see my great weakness in loving others, Jesus reminds me that as I live in Him, He lives in me – and He is love.

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” (John 15:4)

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” (I John 4:16)

Mother Teresa reminded us, “Jesus announced which will be the criteria of the final judgment of our lives: we will be judged according to love. Judged according to the love we have shown the poor, with whom God identifies. ‘You did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:31-46)”

I had food and drink. I had clothes and shelter. I was not in prison, but I sure was sick. Perhaps, for a while, I qualified as one of the least of Jesus’ brethren. I sure didn’t look like Jesus. I didn’t even look like myself! My mind was often so dull I couldn’t think. Sometimes, I probably forgot to say ‘Thank you’ to those that took care of me, but that didn’t stop them.

I am not used to being grouped with the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, and the imprisoned, but I am not ashamed. Our common trait is that we are in need. Some may say we brought these miseries on ourselves. Maybe I did do something that brought cancer into my life. Maybe my faith was too weak to believe God would heal me. But those that cared for me passed no judgment. Those that loved me loved in spite of my weaknesses.

In Jesus’ parable, the righteous were quite surprised to learn that when they took care of the sick, fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, and visited the prisoner, they actually served Christ. How can this be? How can Jesus be sick or weak or misplaced? Oh that we could realize what Mother Teresa and her fellow workers saw to be true: “We should not serve the poor ‘like they were’ Jesus. We should serve the poor ‘because they are’ Jesus.”

As the Son of God came in disguise the first time – the baby of a peasant girl and the son of a carpenter – so He comes in disguise today. Shall we recognize Him? How many times have I missed Him? How often could I have served my Savior by recognizing Him in the hurting? Now that I know a little more about suffering; now that I know what it means to be helpless, I think I see the beauty of God’s call. He chose to love me in my sinfulness and shame. He chose to rescue me when I could not help myself. Will I now choose to love Him?

The words (and actions) of Mother Teresa challenge me in a healthy way: “Jesus continues to live His passion. He continues to fall, poor and hungry, just like He fell on the way to Calvary. Are we at His side to volunteer to help Him? Do we walk next to Him with our sacrifice, with our piece of bread – real bread – to help Him get over His weakness?” “I see God in everyone, and especially in those who suffer.” “Jesus is everything to me.”