Journey to Jesus
This time of year is always a wonderful time to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made when he died on the cross for the sins of the world. (John 19:14-16) As a believer in Christ, this is THE pivotal event of our faith.
I have a desire to read the entire Bible this year. I have been intentional about reading the entire Bible (a few chapters at a time, thank you YouVersion Bible App), and in doing so, I’ve had the privilege of taking a deeper dive into some of the major events that took place in scripture. One of the main events that we continue to talk about to this day is the way God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. That was no small thing; that was a major thing. The importance of Passover and what it signifies - no small thing. God freeing Israel from Babylonian captivity- no small thing. (Ezra 1:1-11) The birth of the savior of the world - MAJOR thing!! Bottom line is - if Jesus hadn’t been born, he definitely couldn’t have died for our sins. If Jesus hadn’t died for our sins, we would be completely doomed and we would have NO hope.
Because I think about the journey that my savior took to the cross just for me, I can’t think help but think about my own personal journey to Him; how I came to intimately know Jesus and call Him savior. My journey didn’t start yesterday, 10 years ago, or even 20 years ago. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always known who Jesus is, I’ve always confessed him, and I’ve always celebrated him. However as I went through the various stages of life where I allowed my immaturity to cause me to make mistakes, I learned more and more of who God is, who Jesus is, and that relationship started to get more and more personal. I can’t help but continuously learn God in a new way and appreciate all that Jesus did for me. The Journey to Jesus is REAL.
So what about you? What does your journey to Jesus look like? Using Jesus' Journey to the cross as a parallel, Jesus' life wasn't all suffering. Yes, there were many challenges and tough times (Lazarus dying, John 11:1-44; Jesus in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11), but there were also good times (Jesus feeding the crowd of 5,000, Mark 6:30-44; Jesus sharing his wisdom with the people (Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7). All of these events were a part of the ministry of Jesus, which ultimately led to his crucifixion. When you look back and remember what your life was like before you chose to live it for Jesus (before you chose him as your Savior, and before you said yes to the call on your heart) what was life like for you? I’m sure there were many good days (spending quality time with family and friends, obtaining a promotion at work, taking a trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit). On the other hand, I’m sure there are also some truly challenging times (feeling really low and you couldn’t explain it, trouble fell in your lap out of nowhere). When tough times come and you don't have a relationship with Jesus, there will always be an empty feeling inside of you that you can't explain. You will try to fill that empty space with relationships, "happy hour", traveling, you name it, you've tried it, and yet nothing worked (or works). What is that thing that pushed you over the edge and made you say enough is enough? What made you finally say to yourself, "Let me try Jesus?" Did someone invite you to church? Did you know him as a child and stray as an adult? Did you just decide one morning to visit a church and see what it’s about? How did you get there? Or are you still on our Journey to Jesus?
I think as Believers it’s so important to take some time to reflect on our individual journeys to Jesus. It’s so important to take time to remember where we were before we said yes, because we should never assume that giving our lives to Jesus means things are all good. It’s actually quite the opposite. (John 16:33) From the moment that you decide to give your life to Jesus and live for Him, you are marked as a child of God. That my friend puts a target on your back and the enemy is determined to hit you with a bullseye. (John 10:10a) Our adversary is constantly on a mission to destroy our lives, or relationships, our positive perspectives about ourselves, etc. When he destroys all of those things, the hope is that we will disconnect from God. Even with all of that, because we said yes to Jesus, we are saved! We can call on Jesus for His help, guidance, and wisdom. Glory to God that the journey we took to Jesus, whenever it was - whether it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago or yesterday - also unlocked the Holy Spirit who dwells in us forever. To keep that relationship strong, it's our duty to seek Him, get to know Him, learn Him, and find joy in him (John 15:11).
We won't always want to do what we are called to do as Believers in Christ, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we can. We don’t want to say that we love a person who has terrorized us, but that’s what we’re called to do. We don’t necessarily want to forgive someone who has done grotesque things to harm us, but as followers of Jesus, that’s what we’re called to do. We don’t always want to have to look the other way or turn the other cheek, but that’s what we are called to do. Living for Jesus is different than living for the world. Living how Jesus called us to live is not a call that everyone will accept. But if we trust in the Lord and not our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-7), everything will make sense one day.
The journey to Jesus is such a precious one. The wonderful thing about it is that no one journey to the Father is the same. We are all uniquely and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) We have unique talents. We have our own gifts from the Father. He wants to use us in ways that are unique and specific, all for His glory. My gifts aren’t your gifts. Your gifts aren’t the next persons gifts. However, they’re all for the glory of God. So as you reflect on your journey to Jesus, know that every single step that you’ve taken to this point was designated and ordered by our Father. Just as Jesus had his own personal journey to the cross - it was journey that no one else could make or take for Him. However long it takes to get to Jesus, we can delight in the fact that our life from that point on will be better than it ever has been before. If for no other reason, NOW we know Jesus. NOW we don't have to walk through life alone. (John 14:26-29) NOW we can lean on and trust in the Word of God to guide our lives. (Psalm 37:23) Thank you Jesus for taking that journey to the cross and dying for my sins. Thank you for resting in the grave. Thank you for waking up that third day proving that you conquered death, Because of that, our sins are forgiven and we will one day have the opportunity to live in eternity with you. (Romans 10:9) All thanks be to God!
References
Biblica, Inc. (1984, 2011). The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Harper Collins Publishers.
Tyndale House Foundation. (1996, 2004, 2015). Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Carol Stream, Illinois. All rights reserved.: Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
I have a desire to read the entire Bible this year. I have been intentional about reading the entire Bible (a few chapters at a time, thank you YouVersion Bible App), and in doing so, I’ve had the privilege of taking a deeper dive into some of the major events that took place in scripture. One of the main events that we continue to talk about to this day is the way God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. That was no small thing; that was a major thing. The importance of Passover and what it signifies - no small thing. God freeing Israel from Babylonian captivity- no small thing. (Ezra 1:1-11) The birth of the savior of the world - MAJOR thing!! Bottom line is - if Jesus hadn’t been born, he definitely couldn’t have died for our sins. If Jesus hadn’t died for our sins, we would be completely doomed and we would have NO hope.
Because I think about the journey that my savior took to the cross just for me, I can’t think help but think about my own personal journey to Him; how I came to intimately know Jesus and call Him savior. My journey didn’t start yesterday, 10 years ago, or even 20 years ago. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always known who Jesus is, I’ve always confessed him, and I’ve always celebrated him. However as I went through the various stages of life where I allowed my immaturity to cause me to make mistakes, I learned more and more of who God is, who Jesus is, and that relationship started to get more and more personal. I can’t help but continuously learn God in a new way and appreciate all that Jesus did for me. The Journey to Jesus is REAL.
So what about you? What does your journey to Jesus look like? Using Jesus' Journey to the cross as a parallel, Jesus' life wasn't all suffering. Yes, there were many challenges and tough times (Lazarus dying, John 11:1-44; Jesus in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11), but there were also good times (Jesus feeding the crowd of 5,000, Mark 6:30-44; Jesus sharing his wisdom with the people (Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7). All of these events were a part of the ministry of Jesus, which ultimately led to his crucifixion. When you look back and remember what your life was like before you chose to live it for Jesus (before you chose him as your Savior, and before you said yes to the call on your heart) what was life like for you? I’m sure there were many good days (spending quality time with family and friends, obtaining a promotion at work, taking a trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit). On the other hand, I’m sure there are also some truly challenging times (feeling really low and you couldn’t explain it, trouble fell in your lap out of nowhere). When tough times come and you don't have a relationship with Jesus, there will always be an empty feeling inside of you that you can't explain. You will try to fill that empty space with relationships, "happy hour", traveling, you name it, you've tried it, and yet nothing worked (or works). What is that thing that pushed you over the edge and made you say enough is enough? What made you finally say to yourself, "Let me try Jesus?" Did someone invite you to church? Did you know him as a child and stray as an adult? Did you just decide one morning to visit a church and see what it’s about? How did you get there? Or are you still on our Journey to Jesus?
I think as Believers it’s so important to take some time to reflect on our individual journeys to Jesus. It’s so important to take time to remember where we were before we said yes, because we should never assume that giving our lives to Jesus means things are all good. It’s actually quite the opposite. (John 16:33) From the moment that you decide to give your life to Jesus and live for Him, you are marked as a child of God. That my friend puts a target on your back and the enemy is determined to hit you with a bullseye. (John 10:10a) Our adversary is constantly on a mission to destroy our lives, or relationships, our positive perspectives about ourselves, etc. When he destroys all of those things, the hope is that we will disconnect from God. Even with all of that, because we said yes to Jesus, we are saved! We can call on Jesus for His help, guidance, and wisdom. Glory to God that the journey we took to Jesus, whenever it was - whether it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago or yesterday - also unlocked the Holy Spirit who dwells in us forever. To keep that relationship strong, it's our duty to seek Him, get to know Him, learn Him, and find joy in him (John 15:11).
We won't always want to do what we are called to do as Believers in Christ, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we can. We don’t want to say that we love a person who has terrorized us, but that’s what we’re called to do. We don’t necessarily want to forgive someone who has done grotesque things to harm us, but as followers of Jesus, that’s what we’re called to do. We don’t always want to have to look the other way or turn the other cheek, but that’s what we are called to do. Living for Jesus is different than living for the world. Living how Jesus called us to live is not a call that everyone will accept. But if we trust in the Lord and not our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-7), everything will make sense one day.
The journey to Jesus is such a precious one. The wonderful thing about it is that no one journey to the Father is the same. We are all uniquely and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) We have unique talents. We have our own gifts from the Father. He wants to use us in ways that are unique and specific, all for His glory. My gifts aren’t your gifts. Your gifts aren’t the next persons gifts. However, they’re all for the glory of God. So as you reflect on your journey to Jesus, know that every single step that you’ve taken to this point was designated and ordered by our Father. Just as Jesus had his own personal journey to the cross - it was journey that no one else could make or take for Him. However long it takes to get to Jesus, we can delight in the fact that our life from that point on will be better than it ever has been before. If for no other reason, NOW we know Jesus. NOW we don't have to walk through life alone. (John 14:26-29) NOW we can lean on and trust in the Word of God to guide our lives. (Psalm 37:23) Thank you Jesus for taking that journey to the cross and dying for my sins. Thank you for resting in the grave. Thank you for waking up that third day proving that you conquered death, Because of that, our sins are forgiven and we will one day have the opportunity to live in eternity with you. (Romans 10:9) All thanks be to God!
References
Biblica, Inc. (1984, 2011). The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Harper Collins Publishers.
Tyndale House Foundation. (1996, 2004, 2015). Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Carol Stream, Illinois. All rights reserved.: Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
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1 Comment
Thank you Lord for your journey to earth to rescue me!
nThank you Michele.