Many of you on my Instagram when I asked what you would like to read about on my blog said ‘Jesus’. So, I thought to start these blogs I would talk about who Jesus is, what He has done for us and how I personally reflect on His life.
I know many of you reading this do not know Jesus but know of his name and that is okay. He knows your name and has done since the beginning of time. Jesus is the perfect picture of what real love looks like and we will get into that more as you read on.
As Christians and followers of Jesus, we believe that Jesus is the son of the living God, who came down to earth to save us, so we can have eternal life with Him and be reconciled with God! You know, without Jesus we would not have the connection we do now with God, if it was not for His sacrifice on the cross.
In the bible, it states in John 3:16 CSB ‘’For God so loved the world in this way. He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.’’
So, let’s talk about why Jesus died on the cross for us.
Friends, you know we all get things wrong, even I get things wrong, I say things I should not say and do things I should not do. We ALL get things wrong and this is called sin. Sin is something we do that does not go in line with what God tells us we should be doing. For example, behaviour that is considered wrong. But how awesome is this friends that Jesus is for us! So much so, Jesus came to earth to take away ALL our sin. Not just the sin we have done in the past but the sin we will do in the future! We can live in confidence that we are saved and have been set free from the power of sin.
Referring to John 3:16, it is a very well-known bible verse and helps us to understand the depth of God’s love that is available to us. His love is so much greater than any human can give. I know it can be difficult to understand how someone can love us because of all the wrong things we have done.
But it is true. Jesus does not consider how much sin we have done; it is just that we have sinned. No sin is greater than the other. Jesus knows everything about you and His love is unfathomable. It also says that whoever believes in Jesus, His son, will NOT perish (perish means to die) but will have eternal life. How amazing is this, that Jesus not only has covered all our sin, but we get to spend eternity with Him in heaven. There is nothing greater than this.
Still, many of you might be asking, so what did Jesus do in his lifetime.
Jesus or as He was sometimes known as Jesus of Nazareth, demonstrates to us the importance of loving and caring for others. This then illustrates to us on how we should be living our own life. As we believe that Jesus is the son of God, Jesus shows us through the witness of His own life of how important it is to have a relationship with Our heavenly father.
Jesus went and prayed many times within the bible which demonstrates to us the importance of prayer. Prayer unites us with Our heavenly father and strengthens our relationship with Him. Through living a life embodied in prayer, it realigns our heart with God’s heart and helps us to pursue a life full of love, joy and peace. Prayer is also how we respond to Jesus’s work of salvation and communicate with the very source and purpose of our existence. Jesus even gave us an example of a prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 NIV, many of you will know it as ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’
I will be doing another blog of how important prayer is which will be available in the next few weeks. But Prayer is not just for when we are in a time of need, it is for all day, every day. You can read many passages in the bible that show of Jesus’s commitment to prayer. For example, in Luke 11:1, Matthew 19:13, Luke 9:28 and many more!
Most importantly, I think it is particularly imperative to know that within Jesus’ life He went and spoke to many people across a vast land about the kingdom of God. After many times of speaking to thousands of people, word was starting to get out about Jesus and the crowds started to grow and grow. Not just because He was speaking about the wonders of God, but because He healed many people and performed many miracles. You can read all about the amazing miracles Jesus performed in the bible, especially when He fed the hungry, He healed the sick, castes out evil spirits and as a whole transformed people’s lives just like He is still doing today!
You know all throughout His ministry, He helped people. Jesus demonstrated to them that God loved them and cared about them through the way He acted and spoke, just like today He loves and cares about us! But most importantly it is vital, we try to imitate what Jesus did in our own lives.
How we love, how we encourage, how we pray and definitely how we help others to encounter Jesus and to explore His greatness for themselves.
Personally, for me, following Jesus and reading about His life has made an impact in the way I live my own. Every day, I make an effort in how I love, encourage and support others just like Jesus did and still does today. Hence, why it is so important for us to love others and to implement His life in our own. It speaks volumes when we do something for someone that they have never experienced before, and love them just like Jesus. When we do, it enables us to be a shining light in the darkness and difficulties that surround us. Like it says in John 15:12 NIV; ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’
Friend, let's try especially at this time with Covid19 to implement prayer, love, support and encouragement to those around us who have been placed for a reason in our life. Call that friend who you haven't spoken to in a while, bake a cake for your neighbour, pray for your work colleagues. Everything we do has purpose and is so important!
Allow that to be in your mind today that because of Jesus, you can have a relationship with God and, you are so deeply loved by Him! But also, allow His life to make an impact in your own and those around you!
Reflection Questions.
1. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus has covered ALL your sin and you can have eternal life with Him because of His sacrifice for us?
2. Reflect on John 3:16, what are your thoughts?
3. How are you going to be a light for Jesus in what you do in this season?
4. Who can you love this week, this month, this year? Who is close to you?
5. What are you going to do today that encourages and supports others?
I pray right in this moment that would allow His love for you to be deeply felt, that it would enter your heart, and that you would rest in this promise, He has been your God from the moment He created you and will be all the days of your life.
Much love!
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