Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

I do a fair amount of teaching at a local college.  This actually goes hand in hand with my role as a pulpit supply preacher; the two occupations make use of the same public speaking component.  As a teacher, I attended an Adult Literacy conference a few years ago, and one of the guest speakers was a young woman named Lilian Okech.  She was an immigrant from the Sudan who created a successful cleaning business here in the United States.  Through hard work and determination, Lilian battled the typical discrimination that immigrants often face in our country and formed a viable business in spite of those roadblocks.  

She spoke eloquently and with passion about how our education system has the opportunity to make or break aspiring students.  At one point, she told a story of how one of her teachers told her she was "smart and beautiful."  Lilian said that this phrase stuck in her mind from the time she was young, and helped guide her through the rest of her life.  May we all hope for teachers like this.  So at this point I want to take a break from everything going on in the world today, and let the reader know that God thinks you are beautiful also.  The book of Genesis says that you and I are created in God's image, and that we are to have dominion over the Earth and everything in it.  This is no small feat by the way.  In fact, the Lord views us as His children, and loves us with an incredible passion.

John 15:12-13 says, "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."  We remember here that Jesus was foreshadowing his own death and crucifixion on the cross - the ultimate loving sacrifice given freely to humankind.  God sacrifices for His people until it hurts (both literally and figuratively).  As I have said before, we are beautiful in His eyes.  1 Peter 3:3-4 states further, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."  God's spirit inside of us is of innumerable value, and Peter compares it here with unfading beauty.  Have I mentioned lately that God loves us?

All of these wonderful Scriptures do not, however, mean that God also loves our sin.  We may be created in His image, but when we do things we ought not to, it isn't beautiful in God's eyes at all.  Remember the Bible states that our bodies are like temples, designed to project and reflect His light.  Contrast this with people engaging in behaviors such as spiritual pride or blasphemy for example, and we have a whole new problem.

So how do we bridge that gap between God’s love and our sin?  The answer is simple, but not easy.  God's restitution plan for us is to believe in Jesus, and repent of our sin.  If we accept Christ's death on the cross and believe that God raised him from the dead, we will be participating in the great atonement.  This isn't easy because in order to come to Christ, we must first accept our own shortcomings and ask for forgiveness.  And I don't mean the backhanded, excuse-laden false apology either ... I'm talking about asking for real forgiveness.

We are beautiful in God's eyes in the sense that Jesus saves us and redeems us.  When God looks at the born-again believer, He sees the reflection of Christ's light in them.  But understand this also, God loves those for whom salvation has not yet occurred as well.  All life originates from the Creator, and as such, all life is precious and beautiful.  

So please don't stop here.  Go that extra step and seek out a relationship with the one that created you.  Don't forgo the potential you have to walk closely with the carpenter from Nazareth.  It's a different kind of fulfillment; better than what the regular world offers.  It is - dare I say - beautiful.  There is an old hymn that many will find familiar called ‘Jesus Loves Me.’  The lyrics were adapted from a poem written in 1860.  One of the stanzas says, “Jesus loves me this I know, because the Bible tells me so.”  It was true then, and it is true now.  Never stop seeking out the God who loves you and sacrificed Himself on your behalf.  

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Our Pride, God's Humility

It's fashionable today to advertise how important we are.  Peruse anyone's social media account or Instagram, and you may find hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures glorifying their accomplishments.  For some, it's a matter of pride.  Showing the world photos of their vacations, new house, or new car is akin to the kings of the Old Testament constructing palaces full of opulence and grandeur.  All of it designed to do one thing: show the world that we are important, and that we matter.  

I have always appreciated the story of Naaman in the Bible.  He was a soldier who served the king of Aram.  Naaman was considered an accomplished warrior, leader, and right-hand man to the king.  But Scripture tells us he also had leprosy.  Finally after years of suffering from this affliction, he heard about this mysterious God of Israel who sometimes healed people.  2 Kings 5:2-3 recounts it like this, "Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife.  She said to her mistress, 'If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria!  He would cure him of his leprosy."

From there, the story goes on to tell us that Naaman eventually visits the king of Israel, in an attempt to be healed of his disease.  But the king denies him, and redirects Naaman to the prophet Elisha.  This famous prophet commands him to then bathe in the Jordan river seven times, at which point he would be healed.  Naaman complains at first that the cure is 'too simple!'  He can't believe that it's free, and that there is no ceremony attached to it.  After all, he is a renown warrior, and surely worthy of some type of public celebration, right?  Apparently not.  Eventually Naaman relents and visits the river to follow Elisha's instructions.  He is healed that same day.  Later, this famous warrior ends up repenting and accepting God.  The good news of the Gospel made its mark on him.  

There are many lessons we can take from this account, but I want to point your attention to something in particular.  Notice that God brings awareness of the miraculous healings happening in Israel to Naaman's attention via a lowly servant girl.  He was then given instructions on how to proceed by the servant Elisha (instead of the king).  In his excellent book 'What is Wrong with the World', author Timothy Keller says that God shows Naaman that the way to healing is through servants and common folk; not kings or politicians.  In essence, God works through regular people in order to produce miraculous things.  

Surely we know this is true.  Just take a quick look at how God reached people throughout the Bible.  Moses was not well spoken or rich, yet he led a nation out of slavery with God's help.  David was a mere shepherd boy, but God made him a king.  And of course, Jesus himself chose several poor fisherman and a tax collector to help spread a message that would change the world.  Time and time again, we are reminded of this strange lesson: man glorifies himself with wealth and power, but God spreads the Gospel message through the humble and obedient.  He uses regular, ordinary people to do extraordinary things.  

Now this is a difficult lesson for us today.  We are often surrounded by lavish creature comforts, especially here in America.  For example, we don't even have to go to a theatre anymore to watch a movie and be entertained, we can simply stream it at home on our television.  But understand this timeless Biblical truth - the pursuit of significance without God always leads to empty riches and lonely fortune.  If we really want God to use us, then it appears we must be willing to stay humble and submit to His authority.  May we always choose God over pride, and be willing to empty ourselves so that He may fill us with something redemptive and new.  Something that the regular world cannot give us through status or position.  

 

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