Jesus

Yeshua Jesus is the Son of the living God. Another name given Him is the Word of God. It is from Him we get knowledge and understanding of God. At the right time, a little over 2000 years ago, Yeshua Jesus came to earth in the form of a human, a baby born of a human mother but not of a human father. This was God's plan to save us, we humans. Jesus lived a life without sin so that He could take our place. He became that unblemished lamb that was sacrificed for our sins.

All us humans have sinned, disobeyed God's laws. The Bible says that we are slaves to sin. Jesus fulfilled all prophesies proving Him to be the messiah, giving us a way to break free from the bondage of sin. He was beaten, spit on, scourged, cursed, mocked, and nailed to a cross to die. But He did not stay in the grave, that tomb. On the third day He arose from the dead. He appeared to many people for a period of 40 days until He went into heaven to be with the Father.

I look at this this way. God's laws deals with how we treat God and how we treat each other. So, what Jesus did was like this; He steps between me/you and those I've/you've sinned against. He took upon Himself everything that should have been dished out to us.

John 15:13 Common English Bible (CEB) 13 No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends.

Jesus' love hasn't stopped at giving up His life for us. He teaches us all about God the Father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit.

You can think of Jesus like the food that you eat and the Holy Spirit like the water you drink but in a spiritual sense. What does the water that you drink do? It helps break down the food and then it caries all that good stuff to all the parts of your body by way of blood. The blood also takes out the bad stuff and gets rid of it. Taking in Jesus is as simple as asking Him or allowing Him into you and your life. When you do this, you are in Jesus and Jesus is in you. You and I become members of His body. He becomes our head.

Revelation 3:20 Lexham English Bible (LEB)

^{20  (Jesus talking)} Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.

If you have just invited Jesus into your life, I encourage you to start a journal. Write down what you experienced at that moment. How would you characterize yourself up until that point and how do others view you. The reason why I say this is because change in your life will happen but it takes time and I think this is good to help you remember from where you came.

I want to also give you a warning. Satan will be busy sowing seeds of doubt in your mind. Don't let him. He will try and make you miss out of something wonderful called salvation. I like this definition of salvation that I found in The Bible Encyclopedia – “”salvation” denotes the whole process by which man is delivered from all that would prevent his attaining to the highest good that God has prepared for him.”

Let me tell you some things about my life. Believing that Yeshua Jesus is the Son of the Living God, our Messiah, our Savior, our teacher, I have learned that I can trust God in all things through Jesus.

I asked Jesus into my life to be lord and savior when I was about 17 years old. I'm not so sure that I understood at the time what that meant.

I am a Vietnam vet. Not once did I fire my weapon at another human being the year that I was there in Nam. I came back unharmed. I went through what I think was probably the lowest part of my life when I returned home from the service but in a way, it was because of that low point that I re-found Jesus. I started going to a great church and met really great friends who accepted me as I was, one of them became my wonderful wife who I am still married to today, 43 years in August. We live in the Houston Texas area and have gone through several bad hurricanes, some tornadoes close by, floods, a small plane crashed, killing the pilot, on the street just behind us at our first home while my wife and children were there, and so many other things. God has saved us from great harm in all of it.

Sometimes it is hard to believe in something you can't see with your eyes but you will find joy and peace if you will.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 New International Version (NIV) 23 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that nothing bad will ever happen. If you look throughout history from the early church until now, there have been pretty bad things happen to those who follow Jesus. Jesus said He will never leave us of forsake us. He helps us endure those times.

John 12:24-26 New International Version (NIV)²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”