Why Do You Love Jesus? ( Part 1)

Why do you love Christ?

Who is Jesus and why do you believe in Him?

If someone were to ask me this last year, it would be honestly hard to muster up any sort of answer. Ironic I’d say coming from someone who has been a Christian for about 2 years, led a small group, led outreach, and seemed involved at church and her fellowship! But as I prepare for being missional on a daily basis, engaging in conversations with others, I’ve found a lot of people ask about: good/ bad, organized religion, current events,social justice etc. And while all that is important and something I find myself needing to actually prepare, I come down to the realest question any proclaiming Christian should ask themselves: Why do you love, believe, and treasure Christ? All the religious things like going to church, reading the bible, praying, meditating, sharing the gospel, why do you do all the things you do?

And I know in the past, when I asked myself this, I found myself sharing very “ correct” answers. Because Jesus died for me, because the bible tells me so, because… because…. Because….

In all honesty,in the past, I was always stumped by this question. I always thought, well if I shared how God redeemed my family relationship, people would attribute it to becoming better… what if I told them that I have a joy like no other that the world can’t bring…. Well that’s because it’s all in your head… what if I said, I have all that I need… well that’s because you worked hard. And I spin in circles trying to think of every counter argument, I just realized that as I think and pray about being missional, preparing to preach the gospel in and out of season, I need to know why I love Christ. And although this question is hard to answer and will change with life/experience, I’ll try to take a stab at it.

So, Why do I love Jesus?

I think what’s on my heart is to preface this: loving God and knowing God is at the hand of God. There are so many verses that talk about it: I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy ( Rom 9:15), those who hear their savior’s voice will recognize him (John 10:27), their eyes will be veiled ( 2 Corith 4:4). All this to say, some people may not understand and that’s okay, but I really want to hash this out for myself.

1. He loved me first- I never chose God, God chose me. As selfish as this sounds, it’s biblical. ( Rom 1:19-223, Rom 2:10-18, Rom2:21-26, Eph 1:4, Eph 2:8-9, 1 john 4:19). As the bible becomes more true, I see the distinction and the nastiness inside me and humankind. The bible is what shapes who God is: holy ( no sin can stand before Him without being destroyed), yet steadfast in love and one who desires to be in relationship with His people ( seen in Exodus- He constantly affirms this by saying “ I am their God and they are my people- it’s like a parent’s love rather than a dictator and that can be seen in how He cares for them through provision, through protecting them, through leading them with pillar of cloud and fire and never forsaking them even when the people of Israel pissed Him off). I love God the Father because of His heart for mankind continues to give a way for us to have a relationship even in the midst of destruction of sin through Jesus. I love Jesus because He first loved me.

2. He knows me fully and still died for me- the craziest truth, after experiencing God’s love personally is the truth that God sees me and knows me and created me ( psalm 139). He knows the ugliness of my heart and really this as a fact doesn’t take much time to realize in each person. Yet, Jesus, the perfect and blameless one without sin would die for sinners. And this has no weight unless you understand the weight of sin before God. And this is so interesting, I was thinking about this… why did animals have to die for the people of Israel as atonement? Why did Jesus have to die for us? It starts in Gen 2:15-17, “ for in the day you shall eat of it you shall surely die”. Now death here is spiritual death, why is this? Disobedience to God caused separation from God, separation from God does not allow us to have relationship with Him ( what was originally designed). Now I can understand a certain frustration, how can one man’s disobedience now lead the whole world to disobedience? (Gen 3:14-19 are consequences of what we know now as sin), ( Rom 5:12-21), but God was not finished yet. As the creator, if we see Him as so, then we know, He neither needs us nor did He need to care. It’s like a parent who is totally over their kids, I guess I’ll understand one day. But it’s like in the midst of a child’s disobedience, attitude, rebellion. Think of that but say… small ants doing that to a human being. Just step on them right? But reading the Bible, that is NOT who God is and praise the Lord, we would be destroyed. Instead, He makes a way in the most insane way where He allows both His chosen people and gentiles to be saved. Because He loves and gives us an opportunity to experience life abundantly, this life being spiritually alive through having a relationship with Him ( through Jesus’ redemption of this relationship).

3.Jesus not only brings hope to my life, but the world - Keeping it simple, John 3:16-21. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and has compassion for the world (Luke 19:10, Matt 9:36).

4.He cares deeply about you and me and our joy - ( phil 3:5-8, Heb 12:1-2, Heb 2:17-18 , John 13:1-20, john 15:11)

5.All things pass away in this world, But He is everlasting- I think this truth is mind boggling because, as I think about it , it challenges me to live my life for Him alone. And this is insane, but Phil is pretty scary but so true: Phil 1:19-30 ** V28-30**. As I think about Kobe’s memorial service, all these people keep talking about eternalizing Bryants, but even their memory will disappear with the people who knew them. He is the one and true living God that is from everlasting to everlasting and gives us a hope that goes beyond ourselves and time.

6. Seeing the abundant grace- From my adoption from China to be brought to America to the family I was adopted into to the friends I meet. I see God’s redeeming hand in my family, how there are things that are humanly impossible to fix. Main one is the family relationship with my parents ( the forgiveness and now relationship we have- dude it’s all God)

Jesus is worth it. I am convinced that He is treasure that the world has yet to know. And just like any relationship, as I begin to know the God of the bible…. As the Bible becomes more real, how can you not love God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit? The life of following Christ is marked by a lot of backwards thinking of the world. But the more I read, the more I realize how fleeting and short this life is. And although my heart longs for the comforts , false hopes, and temporary glories of this world ( peace, health, and security, to be known and loved etc.), Christ calls us to bigger things. He is coming soon, are you ready?

Life is short, but eternity is long.

Prepare for eternity.