Jesus is the Son of God. He came to earth, born of the virgin Mary who was with child by the Holy Spirit, so that we, all people through all of time, may be saved from our sins and an eternity of separation from God. It can be very difficult to comprehend the reality of Jesus, what He stood for, who He was and still is, and what He did through his life and ultimately through his sacrifice and resurrection.
'And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." ' John 14:3-7
Jesus is the way…
When Jesus came to be with mankind on earth, he became the gateway to a relationship with God. He changed the way we are called to worship, live, love, and be overall. Through Jesus’ teachings within the gospels, we find that he is the Way to the Father.
He tells us that through loving him we are loved by God. By following his teachings and commands we show our love and faithfulness to him, and through that faith and obedience we get to have a relationship with God, and a relationship with God is a blessing beyond measure.
'Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." ' John 14:21
The Good Shepherd
Jesus is not only the way to God but the way to safety as our Good Shepherd. The job of a shepherd is to keep the flock safe and healthy. Sheep are silly, stubborn animals, and they rely heavily on their shepherd to take care of them. When they fall over, they need the help of the shepherd to get back up. When they are filthy, dirty, and hungry they rely on the shepherd to clean and heal them and lead them to green pastures to be nourished and fed.
When a sheep wanders off, the shepherd chases after them to save them from being eaten by wolves. When a shepherd calls to his sheep, the sheep know his voice, trust it, and follow it. Sheep need their shepherd in order to survive. Life is safer when they stay with their shepherd.
There was a sheep who had gotten lost and managed to survive on its own, but it had become so overgrown with wool its life was at risk. Fortunately, the sheep was found in time and a shearer was able to save his life (story here). We are sheep.
We collect so much dirt, gunk, sin, and all this painful baggage that weighs us down, suffocating us. Then when we find Jesus, and we allow him to take us in as a good shepherd does, he shears off the baggage, cleans out the darkness in our hearts, heals our wounds, and frees us from the suffocation of sin. Through Jesus, we find a new, fresh life source and the safety of a good shepherd who loves his flock.
'I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ' John 10:9-11
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Jesus is the Truth…
Jesus doesn’t just speak truth, He is truth personified, and the source of all truth.
“and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie, and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
I love how ActiveChristianity addresses Jesus as the truth, “Our attitude toward the truth determines the outcome of our lives. If we don’t love the truth, if we resist it, we resist salvation. But if we do love the truth then we embrace salvation and we receive the reward: the crown of life.”
Jesus is the truth, so everything He teaches is truth. When we live by the truth, loving the truth, we live by the commands Jesus gives because we know they are true and they open us up to a relationship with God which gives us new life. Loving and believing the truth leads to life and resisting the truth leads to destruction.
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ' John 8:31-32
Jesus is the Life...
Circling back to John 10:10-11, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep," Jesus is the key to eternal life because He protected us with his life when He died on the cross and rose again 3 days later.
When we love and remain faithful to Jesus we are given the free gift of salvation. That salvation saves us from eternal separation from God. When we give our life to Jesus, our spirit is given new life. We are made new, refreshed, born again through the blood of Jesus.
When we are reborn in Christ, we are given the gift of eternal life. With Jesus, life here on earth is much more fulfilling, and we have Him to hold onto, lean on, follow, and protect and heal us along the way - but as Crosswalk puts it, “...this life is not the point.”
Jesus lays down exactly how we are called to live here and is also the gateway to eternal life in Heaven. He came so that we may have a full, abundant life and be saved from eternal separation from God.
Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the Son of God, God in the flesh, our Saviour and Redeemer, our Good Shepherd, and is everything we need and more. Loving Jesus and building a foundation with Him as the cornerstone is essential to a fulfilling life here, eternal life in Heaven, and a relationship with God.
Why do Christians read, teach, love, and trust the bible?
The word “Bible” literally means “book”, which means the Holy Bible is literally the Holy Book. The Bible is all about relationship. It is a book about God’s love for and relationship with his children, as well as our relationships with one another.
The Bible is God’s Word. Written over the course of 1500 years God used 40 different authors to relay the stories and testimonies we find throughout the 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament scriptures. It is an instruction manual teaching us how to live our best life, get through anything we face, love fully, find peace, hope, and comfort. It is a book of forgiveness, faith, grace, sacrifice, and so much more.
'Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. '
My pastor said once “our level of appreciation is often based on our level of understanding.” The relevance of the Bible is a very common debate. More and more, people do not see it as relevant, and that is why it is all the more relevant and important to read, study and understand. Only through diving in and striving to understand it can we learn to appreciate its relevance in our own lives.
' The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.'
“...stand forever.” “...eternal life.” These are terms we see throughout scripture. Although the words “eternal” and “forever” sound like they are talking about the future, which would be unknown, it actually begins here and now. The Word of God is eternal - the relevance of it never expires. Scripture will always be essential and applicable, through all of time, which includes right now.
“...new life.” “...born again.” Eternal life, and being reborn, given new life, means that when you love and accept God, His Word, and His son you are changed. As you develop your faith, as you grow closer in your relationship with God, begin to understand what He has done for you, what He has the power to do, you begin to change. You are transformed into the best version of yourself.
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‘ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
When I made the decision to trust and follow God I learned what it meant to be given new life. I began reading my Bible not out of obligation or because I was told to do so. Gratefully, I started reading it with the desire to learn what it meant, to learn how to heal. I started navigating that nagging question “if there is a God, why would He care about me?” As I read, studied, and understood more I began to appreciate it more. I experienced God's healing through His Word.
'For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. '
The Word of God has the power to completely transform you. Not only does it provide instructions about how we should behave and live, but it provides hope, inspires courage and humility, pours out love, and can help you through any dark time.
It explains who God is, tells us what Jesus has done for us, teaches us countless lessons, and gives innumerable testimonies and stories from real people throughout time that carry relevance even today. It gives us a look into the beginning of human history and tells us where we came from.
'And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. '
Believing that the Bible is the true Word of God opens the door to unimaginable blessings that God is holding for you, waiting for you to trust and believe in Him.
Grief is a painful experience. It is an inevitable part of life. Why do we grieve? What does grief look like? What hope is there when we are consumed by grief?
We Feel Shock
“Grandpa is dying. The doctors say we need to say our goodbyes.” Sitting there in the passenger seat I opened my phone, read those words, turned the screen off, put the phone down, and sat there. I just sat and felt my mind lose all thoughts and emotions. “What's wrong?” I heard; *snap* ...back to reality. I could not say anything. I just sat, holding it in. The shock had set in and taken hold.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
We deny it and isolate ourselves
I go into his hospital room and my family ask the nurse “Is he getting better? Do you see signs of improvement?” They had every inclination that he would get better and go home. Never mind that he is on life support, quickly deteriorating, and no one can figure out why he won’t wake up from his coma or what put him there in the first place. This poor, broken man was lying there dying while most of the family was in complete denial.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4
We get angry over things that make no sense
A few days later I came upon the Texas Toast section in the grocery store. I saw it and nearly burst into tears over my shopping cart. Texas Toast was a common dinner side dish at my grandparent’s house, and it was one of my grandpa’s and my favorites. In that moment I thought Texas Toast would forever be something that would make me want to cry and that made me incredibly, and ridiculously, angry. The darn Texas Toast would never be the same.
'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ' John 14:27
We fall into depression
Depression sneaks up on us in many different forms. It can look like me at 13 years old, sunken deep into darkness, thinking I was no longer worthy of living, begging God to let me go; like staying in bed all day, not wanting to move, get dressed, shower, eat; like compulsive purchases of crazy things that don’t matter or make sense; like my mother slumped on the bathroom floor, not able to breathe through the unexplainable sudden tears, or stand from the weight of deep constant sadness; like there is no joy left in the world.
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
We bargain with the delusion that we can fix it
I remember being 15 years old lying curled up on the floor of my bedroom, crying harder than almost any other time in my life to this day after my first love and I split up for the final time. I begged for God to take the pain, to fix my broken heart, pleaded that I would do anything for the pain to stop and for the person I thought was the love of my life to forgive my stupidity and come back. I was in agony and I begged and pleaded, trying to bargain my way out of grief.
'But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ' John 14:26
We accept it
Grief clouds our minds and provides a playground for Satan, but it also provides a gap in the dark clouds for God’s hand to reach out and pick us up, bringing us into His light.
I love the wayIn Touch Ministries put it; “The Lord personally provides consolation and reassurance because no one knows our hurts the way He does.”
Through our grief we can become stronger people, deeper in faith, closer to God, and more humble and wise. Through the grace of God, we are sustained. God is in complete control and does not give us more than we can handle with His help. When we hit our limit we are called to give God the reigns. Give Him the control and let him take over and carry us through the remainder of our grief.
Watching my grandfather there, unconscious, grimacing in pain, frail and thin like paper, I knew that he would meet God, and his suffering may end soon. I recognized that God is powerful and loving enough to comfort my family while we grieve the condition of such an important man, while He also carries my grandpa through his suffering.
In Touch Ministries goes on to say “People who fail to understand the true source of comfort try to escape their pain. They seek out pleasures, material wealth, or drugs and alcohol to soothe them. Only God can offer lasting relief from the crushing pressure of heartache. He even brings joy into periods of mourning.”
In our grief, God calls out to us. He mourns with us, for us, and wants to take our pain and bring us comfort.
' Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.'
God has endured the ultimate grief. God sent His own Son, the image of Himself, to earth to heal and guide His people and then ultimately to die a horrendous death on our behalf. God has seen and felt the grief of ultimate loss, and all for our own sakes. Through His loss we have all gained forgiveness, comfort, and pure love.
Even when we suffer, God will lift us up and console us. Let God take control of your grief. Let Him be at your side and fill you with ridiculous peace and love. Let Him teach you of His goodness through your heartache. God is strong enough to help you through your grief when you are at the end of your strength.
'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. '
God shows up in many ways. Sometimes God heals us on earth and we are given more time here, and sometimes the healing and peace waits until after this life. All the time, though, God is in control, God comforts, God heals, God loves. Let us give God control, and let us be a comforter to those who grieve as God comforts us.
Why is there so much tragedy, heartache, pain, and suffering in life? What on earth is there to gain from so much pain? These are questions everyone asks themselves at some point in their life.
But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
This story is one most people are at least semi-familiar with. Something important that is embedded into this story is the origin of suffering. When God told Adam and Eve that they will “surely die” if they eat from the Tree of Life (Gen. 2:17), He did not mean they'd die an immediate death in the earthly sense that you and I know. Their innocence, peace, blissful ignorance would die and they would be introduced to sin and know suffering.
Satan, the serpent, knew this and tricked them in their innocence. He played on their curious human nature, led them into temptation, and now all of humankind knows sin and suffering.
Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
We were never meant to have this knowledge of good and evil. We were created to live peacefully and innocently with God, trusting in Him to know what is best. As soon as the first sin occurred, human beings were forced to bear the weight of knowledge.
With the knowledge of good and evil came sin, suffering, and eventual yet inevitable death. The death God warned of in Genesis, I believe, is both the human death we all eventually experience, but also the instant death of human innocence and blissful ignorance as soon as Adam and Eve ate from the tree. It is a death of purity and peace as they entered into a world of sin and suffering. The good news is that God provided a way for His people to find and reside in that peace and purity again through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Will the suffering ever stop?
Growing up I had an incredibly tough life. There were only a few points in my childhood that were stable, and even those times didn't last very long. When I was 11 my mother told me I was overweight and started me on weight loss pills. That was the beginning of a new kind of suffering in my life.
Through that, I entered the steep slope of young alcoholism, pill addiction, and eating disorders which then transformed into the desire for positive attention from literally any place I could find. This led me to many situations of being used, bullied, and assaulted by my peers. I had no one. I was utterly alone and constantly suffering.
Eventually, I attempted to end my life to stop the ceaseless suffering. After continuing to fail at something that in every earthly sense I absolutely should have succeeded, it hit me…maybe there is a reason for me to be alive. Maybe all this pain means something. But what? Why?
'... for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. '
I would continue to struggle for many years. As soon as I'd asked myself why I was still alive I, for the first time in my life, realized that there had to be something bigger than myself keeping me alive. It had to be for some purpose.
In all the suffering I have endured I began to learn that it was making me stronger. My suffering began to clearly lead me to God, as He was the only “thing” that could possibly help me through all the pain.
'For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, '
The point of suffering is to develop and strengthen our faith. It is to make us stronger, more faithful, and less fearful of earthly things. When we suffer, we learn to depend on Christ to see us through.
'And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. '
There is hope to be had through the suffering. It is not forever. As we go through our trials, we are refined, like a rough gold nugget being melted down, purified, polished, and shined into a valuable, beautiful gold ingot. God will strengthen and restore us.
It is inevitable that we will all suffer to some degree in our lives. It’s also inevitable that through it all God will do wonders in His faithful children and bring us out shining like gold in His presence.
What does God hope to accomplish through our suffering?
When I took the huge leap of faith, putting away my extremely painful, sinful way of living, and decided to live for God it changed everything about myself - or at least, the “me” I had become while conforming to what society wanted me to be. It was incredibly strange, too. It was an immediate change, which felt extremely natural, not forced at all, and it literally just happened. I began to speak, dress, walk and eat differently.
I began to treat people differently. I'd gone from extremely pessimistic and dramatic to finding impossible peace I never knew existed. I changed from an extremely boisterous, complaintive person to a peaceful, confident, fearless woman.
God literally transformed my heart and my mind as soon as I gave my life to Him in full trust, but I got to that point through an incredible amount of suffering. Had I not suffered all that I had, I would not have become the person I have become. I would not know this impossible peace and undying faith.
'Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. '
God gives us very specific qualities He wants us to exhibit. When we are enduring great suffering, he is buffing out the sinful qualities and bringing the righteous qualities to the surface.
'Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. '
When we endure our suffering, allowing God to work on us, transform us, and heal us we are made new. We are utterly transformed and we may receive God’s blessings through our suffering and obedience.
I am a wife, mom, writer, crafter, and above all, a Child of God. I love to study the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and serve God. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in seeking to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Living Water of Christ, which is what Water On Thirsty Land is here to do.
