The World Needs Jesus

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

I've heard a lot of things this week and much of it has not been good. People lying, slandering, engaging in unseemly behavior, debauchery, and just all around wickedness. It would be easy for me to condemn the world except for the one simple fact that brings all of this into reality, I am no better than anyone mentioned in these news items. The only difference between many of them and myself is that I acknowledge that I am sick and they do not.

We are saved by grace, as I am sure you have heard. This is what confuses the world about Christians. We say that we have been forgiven through God's grace, meaning that he has shown us undeserved favor, and yet we hold the world to a standard that surpasses our own standards of morality. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we would recognize the sad reality that although the acceptance of Jesus into our hearts wipes our record of sin away according to God's book, that does not mean that we live as angels here on earth.

We need Jesus, all of us. Every day I need to be reminded to walk with him. Even then I allow myself to be dragged into the muck of the world that pollutes my mind and my heart. But when I am alone, I fall to my knees and thank God for his mercy, grace, and forgiveness. I need Jesus and I know it.

Only in Jesus can we be complete. He forgives our sins, wipes away our guilt, and empowers us to live life to the fullest. To live for anything else or anyone else is pointless. Who cares how great you might become in this lifetime? All people die one way or another, so who cares? But in Jesus, we have eternal life.

He has shown us how to live out eternal lives. We are to live out our lives in sacrificial love for one another. It was Jesus himself that said that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends. Is not love our very reason for living?

For God first loved us. He himself is love and created us for the sake that he is love and wanted to spread his love. His love is our life blood and his blood made it possible for us to receive his love. This blood was shed of his Son, Jesus. We all need Jesus. The world needs Jesus. I need Jesus. Amen.