As I mentioned last week, I will be posting something different on the midweek post for the next few weeks. I've been reflecting on my life, and I realize that there have been some very important occurrences that changed the course of my life. I want to share some of these over the next few weeks with the hope that it will help you to look at the course of your life and discern the way that the Lord has ordered your path.
If you follow the blog at all, you know that the main emphasis is on Christian ideas, sermons and a few other items. You may think that the first life changer that I will mention is coming to know Jesus as Savior. However, while this has made the difference in my entire life as my life has been focused on following the Lord, it was not a life changing moment so to speak. Let me explain.
I was very young when I came to know Jesus as my Savior. I can't really remember a time when Jesus was not the focus of my life. There was no real dramatic before and after as there was for my parents.
What was a life changing time for me is what I call my Jesus Quest. I grew up in a very fundamentalist household. I attended fundamentalist churches and schools until I got out of high school. Growing up in this type of environment left me with an idea of who Jesus is that caused me for a time to consider not even being a Christian anymore.
Even as a young adult, I was beset with the image of Jesus that was given to me when I was in school and Bible college. The Jesus that was presented to me was extremely judgmental. He was ready to punish you for the slightest infraction. His love and compassion were never presented or preached. Following the Sermon on the Mount literally was considered foolishness. Jesus was presented more or less as the way to escape hell and get into heaven. The social teaching of Jesus and His way of peace was never mentioned.
I made the decision to find out who Jesus really is. I started what I call my Jesus Quest. The first thing that I did was read the Gospels again. I then decided to categorize all of the statements of Jesus into the different categories of systematic theology to see what Jesus taught about subjects such as eschatology, etc.
After this, I decided to read all of the books about the life and teachings of Jesus that I could find. I read books from a variety of theological perspectives. I wanted to know what scholars of all types had to say about who Jesus is and what He taught while He was here on the earth.
This journey changed the course of my life. It allowed me to understand the reality of Jesus Christ. I came to the realization that Jesus was and is the man of love and compassion. He cares about us. He loves all and accepts all manner of people. He does not reject anyone. He wants to be in a relationship with us.
I also came to understand that Jesus calls upon us to reject the path of violence and seek the way of peace. Jesus calls on us to speak up for the oppressed and the powerless. He calls on us to care for the poor and the those who are considered the least among us.
My Jesus Quest allowed me to have a deeper relationship with Jesus. It allowed me to feel His love and presence in my life in way that I had not up until that time. Knowing Jesus in this way has helped me to make it through life in tough times knowing that Jesus is with me and He will never forsake me. He is seeking good for me and not ill.
I hope that you will know who Jesus is. I hope that you will let Him lead and guide your life.
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