I Used To Believe In Jesus

I used to believe in Jesus.

In my house while I was growing up it was just a given. Jesus was the Son of God, He died on the cross, and rose from the dead in 3 days.

I didn’t question any of the stories I was told from the Bible. I believed that those stories were true. I believed that Jesus healed people, that He turned 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish into a meal for 5000, that He turned water into wine, that He calmed storms at sea, that He walked on water.

My belief was strong. I didn’t doubt who Jesus was.

He was the only perfect human. He was able to withstand rejection, persecution, torture. And He did it with humility out of obedience to God. He really was a wonderful man.

But then something changed.

I met Jesus myself and found out who He is. As wonderful a man as Jesus was, who He is just blew me away.

So who was this man, Jesus?  

The gospels tell us the story. They tell us all about the man.

One of the first verses many of us learned is John 3:16
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.

That’s where I started, I believed. But the plan is not to just remain there, to just remain at belief in a man who lived, died, rose, and then ascended into heaven. The plan is to allow that belief to grow into a relationship with the living Jesus, the one who is still present, and real, and can be our guide and our strength. Meeting Jesus personally and getting to know Him is a game changer.

The disciples met Jesus. He spoke to each one, offered the invitations, and they followed. They got to know Him, spent lots of time with Him, allowed themselves to be open and teachable. They didn’t always understand His words or his methods, but they knew that His path was the Truth. They were given purpose and gifts that they had never imagined would be part of their stories.

The woman at the well met Jesus. She wasn’t even looking for Him. She was actually trying to avoid meeting anyone. She was full of shame and didn’t want to be seen and ridiculed. But He saw her, He knew her, He offered grace and mercy instead of ridicule, and after meeting Him she was overflowing with joy.

A government official met Jesus. He had heard of this man who could do miracles. His son was sick and he needed help. He met Jesus and presented his request. In that personal interaction the authority and power of Jesus was released and the official’s son was healed.

Jesus is not just a man who was blessed by God – He is God Himself.

Jesus is alive and well. He is still working, still healing, still seeing the unseen, still mediating on our behalf, still guiding, still loving. He is still victorious, seated on the throne in Heaven.

The story of Jesus is not just history, it is an ongoing story unfolding before our very eyes if we will just open them to see Him. 

In Jesus I met compassion, freedom, peace, love, joy. I met my best friend, my brother, my soul mate. He has opened up my heart and drained out the darkness of shame and rejection that was stored there. He has led me away from hurt and into new gifts and opportunities.

So, yes, I used to believe in Jesus…but now I know Him! And that has changed my life.