10 Things I Love About Jesus

I have been writing lessons on the parables over the last few months. All I can say is that it has been eye opening as the truths revealed in the parables come alive. It makes me so appreciative of Jesus Christ. It reminds me of why I am here and why I do the things I do. In short, I love Jesus and I love His church. Here are 10 reasons why I love Jesus…later I will do 10 reasons I love His church.

1. I love Jesus’ love for all people. Jesus loved people in ways that are so hard for me to fully understand or practice. Are you a tax collector, sinful woman, diseased leper, or even soldier nailing his hands or piercing his side…Jesus loves you the whole time. I have a hard time loving the guy who just cut me off in traffic. I have so much to learn here and I love Jesus for showing us the way.
2. I love Jesus’ selflessness. He is constantly giving himself away. I think the reason he could do that when it seems to hard for me to do personally is that I need to better embrace the next one…
3. I love Jesus’ relationship with the Father. Jesus wasn’t seeking the crowds. He was seeking the Father. Popularity didn’t matter to Jesus. All that mattered was what God thought about what he was doing and how much glory he could bring to God. He found time to foster that relationship even though he was divine himself.
4. He wasn’t about self gratification or self promotion. Jesus was all about promoting his Father and bringing glory to God. That is all that mattered to him. Period. It is easy to get this one messed up because there obvious, material rewards that often come through self promotion that may not happen otherwise.
5. He died for my sins. Instead of waving a magic wand to forgive sins from a comfortable throne in heaven, Jesus stepped into our world and paid the price with his own blood. That is humbling and I love him for that.
6. I love that Jesus is truthful. That sounds obvious but sometimes the truth is not fun or exciting to tell. It is much easier to tell people what they want to hear. It is much more popular to tell people what they want you to say and to meet up with the expectations of the crowd. I would be tempted to do that…but Jesus never did. He told the truth even when it wasn’t easy.
7. I love Jesus’ power & authority. He had the power to calm seas, cast out evil spirits, heal diseases, raise the dead and even overcome Satan, sin and death. He could do all that and yet never wielded his power in unrighteous ways or for his own advantage. Because of that we have hope beyond the grave.
8. I love that Jesus called ordinary people to be his disciples. He didn’t go to the elite Rabbinical schools and try to snatch away their star students. He got the “every man” kind of guy and equipped them to change the world in a generation.
9. I love how Jesus took time for the little things and for little ones. When you are on a mission to save the world in three years most people wouldn’t find time for the little things. Jesus did. Jesus loved being around little children. They weren’t a bother or a nuisance. He valued them and took time for them. Jesus even said the rest of us need to become like they are. We don’t normally pick kids to be our role-models. Jesus did because Jesus wasn’t normal.
10. I love that Jesus was so normal and abnormal all at the same time. He did everything we do. He faced every temptation we face. But, unlike us, he lived the perfect life. He didn’t see things the way we see things. Jesus was abnormally normal and I love him for that.

What do you love about Jesus? Feel free to add your list of 10 in the comments.