Hi, Jesus!

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insight, Jesus, kingdom of Heaven, little children, prayer, talking to Jesus

Recently our 4-year-old granddaughter started a conversation while riding in the back seat of the family vehicle:

“Hi, Jesus. It’s me, Isabella…”

She has a new awareness of prayer, and wants to pray about everything. When our daughter-in-law Candice posted this on Facebook, I thought, “How cute.” But in thinking about it, I’m reminded of the words of Jesus to his followers:

“…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

Little Cousins, Easter 2013

Isabella’s spontaneity  in talking to Jesus illustrates several insights that are important for “grown-ups” to consider:

1. She can talk to Jesus any time, any place.
2. She’s confident that He knows who she is.
3. She can talk to Jesus as she would anyone who loves her.
4. Jesus is ready to listen to her.
5. He’s interested in everything that’s important in her world–her family, her friends, her daily activities.

Good things to remember!

What insights have you gained from children in your life?

“Speaking of Jesus”

Tags

Christian, Christianity, God, Gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Middle East, Religion and Spirituality

Have you ever felt defensive when someone challenges your beliefs about religion or Christianity? If that’s been true for you, Speaking of Jesus could change your perspective. Author Carl Medearis, a long-term resident and expert on the Middle East, urges us to go back to the core, to Jesus, the Center of it all.

People react to Christianity for a variety of reasons: their own negative experience, misinformation, the influence of others. But the game changes totally when we point them away from the superstructure of religion and the catastrophes of “Christian” history to look at Jesus. The subtitle of the book, “the art of not evangelism,” gives a hint that this is not a book to provide you with a canned outline or method for a sweaty-handed conversation with the person in the next cubicle.

If we are to “live like Jesus and share His love,” we need to remember that Jesus went out of his way to spend time with non-religious people. And he generally challenged their thinking, not their behavior.

I was touched by the amazing stories Medearis relates of people from a variety of cultures responding to the good news of Jesus. The humor and insight in the book are disarming; the truths he shares are like a gut-punch.

Larry and I found this book extremely provocative. Some of Medearis’s statements are startling, some you may disagree with. But in the end, I believe you will have a renewed appreciation of the ministry of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels, and a refreshed enthusiasm for introducing people in your circle of influence to the One who can transform their lives.

Peace with God

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atonement, Jesus, love, loving embrace, peace, peace with God, rest, sin, stress-free, understanding, unmet expectations

New understanding bloomed in my mind like an unfurling bud as I read and reread the timeless words in Romans 5. “…we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Peace, with God?

The holy, majestic Creator of the Universe? The Giver of all Life? The One Who holds the universe together with a thought? The Ultimate Ruler of all mankind?

Peace?

Considering a peace-able relationship, concepts float into my mind. Comfortable. Accepting. Stress-free. No guilt or shame. No competition or restlessness. No weight of unmet expectations.

We know ourselves. We may be aware of selfish thoughts, impure motives. Un-considered deeds, unkind words and resentful attitudes can haunt our memories. While we may not have committed murder, sin is sin–it all separates us from God.

Because of Jesus, we can step out of the fraying cloak of our attempts at goodness, our misdirected efforts to please. We can walk through the purifying shower of Jesus’ atonement, and approach the Father without uncertainty or fear.

As we come near, we see the love in his eyes, and the welcoming body language as he leans toward us. Like a beloved toddler, we can clamber up into his lap and rest our head against his shoulder. His loving embrace settles us, we can relax.

Peace.

With God.