For many years I have loved Jesus. I cannot remember a time when I did not (my parents and pastors and lifelong friends are a testimony of how I knew that love). I grew up, deeply rooted in the Word of God at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and deeply received the love of God through His people.
As I grow in years and hopefully in maturity, I find more and more why I love Jesus.
Today I write from Kyrgyzstan, one of the few double landlocked countries in the world. It has held independence for 25 years this year. The people are kind, gracious, friendly, but most do not speak English. My non-existent Russian and Kyrgyz means I am mostly relegated to elaborate sign language to communicate with mixed results. As I walked through one of the main university streets, walking through a sea of faces, all equally unfamiliar and foreign, I was listening to the new United Pursuit album, “Looking for a Savior,” and was struck by these words:
“I am looking for a Savior
I can see and know and touch
One who dwells within the midst us
May a broken God be known
In the earth beneath our feet,
May our souls behold humility.”
-Will Regan, United Pursuit
Yet again I am rediscovering why I love Jesus. As we know well and probably have memorized: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The incarnation of God as Jesus Christ is one of the most beautiful proofs of His love for us. To the people who could not understand the Gospel, for we who were blinded by sin, distracted by lust, discouraged by our burdens to us, the people He had created, God came.
The more I see of Jesus, the more I love Him.
He is the radiant expression of the love of the Father. He is Himself grace and truth. All that our souls long for and desire is found in Jesus. And yet we read and see that these words are also still true in our world today: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3).
The love of God incarnate is not always instantly recognized and embraced. I am one of the fortunate few who grew up in a loving and Christ-centered community. As I grow and travel, I realize increasingly how scarce these communities are.
The love of Jesus is no less precious to the isolated believer. I met a woman yesterday who came to Christ from a nominal Muslim background. In her words: “And then I met Jesus. And the moment I walked out of that church, my soul was full of love and peace and tranquility. I found what I didn’t even know I was missing.” We are looking for a Savior, one we can see and know, who is familiar with our joys and our sorrows. Of the many reasons we love Jesus, today I am most captivated by the simple truth of His humanity.
Even if they don’t yet know what they are missing, our world is hungry for Jesus.
There is an old missionary maxim: pray, send or go.
If you are a follower of Jesus in America, will you commit some time to pray today that Christ would be made known in many places? Perhaps pray especially for Pasha and Tiffany, living and loving Jesus in Bishkek. If you are in the position to do so, perhaps ask God who you can help send to the mission field. Are there friends you can encourage in their journey? Are there ways you can financially support the command of Christ to “Go?”
And last but not least, Matthew 28:20 is for all. What does it look like for us to obey the call of Christ and make Jesus known? His love and life incarnate is the most beautiful truth we know. To close with yet another beautiful but slightly more classic hymn:
I will serve Thee because I love Thee
You have given life to me.
I was nothing before You found me,
You have given life to me.
Heartaches, broken pieces,
Ruined lives are why You died on Calvary.
Your touch was what I longed for,
You have given life to me.
-I Will Serve Thee, William J. and Gloria Gaither
