WHY DO WE REALLY NEED JESUS?
It is a profound honor to be within the presence of Jesus!
Sit within this thought for a moment.
Sense His presence.
Feel His presence.
Hear Him speak.
Taste His goodness.
Rest, right where we are at this very moment, and sense Jesus, right here, right now.
REST.
Rest in thankfulness for all that He has done to secure our salvation.
Rest in thankfulness for all that He continually does.
REST. The glorious LORD JESUS.
The other day, I was asked by a stranger to describe God. Immediately, I thought of the person of Jesus. Immediately, I thought of God’s sweet Holy Spirit that resides within me. Immediately, I thought of God, my Father. How does someone describe God to an unbeliever, to one who seeks to know WHO it is we worship?
In understanding WHO, we reveal WHY.
- WHY do we need Jesus?
- WHY do we need a Savior?
- WHY do we need the Messiah?
- WHY do we need a friend who walks with us daily through everything we face?
- WHY do we need to come to know the love of a heavenly Father?
- WHY do we need to revere in total awe the majesty of Jehovah God?
- WHY?
- WHY do we need His Son Jesus?
- WHY do we need the presence of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within our soul, our innermost being?
WHY, OH WHY, DO WE REALLY NEED JESUS?
“Remember my affliction [my misery] and my wandering [my homelessness], the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope [therefore I wait].
The LORD’S lovingkindnesses [His acts of mercy] indeed never cease.
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your Faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
Therefore I have hope in Him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the LORD.”
(Lamentations 3: 19-26)
As I sat there beside him, I thought—
- How do I reveal God; how do I explain my God to this man; and how can I speak the words so that he understands the God I worship?
- Do I speak of about the church, the people I worship with each week?
- Do I speak of the peace inside my soul that reaches down to my toes, that stretches to the top of my head, and touches every part of me in between?
HOW DO I EXPLAIN MY SAVIOR?
HOW DO I SHARE JESUS SO THIS STRANGER UNDERSTANDS?
- Do I share how I spend time within His presence as we walk together throughout every single day?
- Do I share how we all need Jesus—every single day—every moment of every day?
- Do I tell this man sitting beside me how God’s Word directs my path, how I seek Him through His Word?
- Do I speak about the way I can sit, quietly resting within His presence, even when the world spins around me?
HOW DO I DESCRIBE MY JESUS TO A MAN WHO SAYS HE DOES NOT EVEN BELIEVE IN GOD?
HOW DO ANY OF US SHARE WITH OTHERS WHO SAY THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND OUR BELIEF?
I heard a precious melody titled “While We Wait” by Amanda Cook that reveals how God is always faithful, how He reveals Himself. The lyrics speak of God’s Spirit, of where HE IS, of what we should do as we wait for Jesus to come for us. Yes, the blessed revelation of God comes to us as we walk throughout our days, busily doing His will—while we wait for His return for us.
“[GOD] You’re here . . .
Through it all, You’re with us while we wait.
While we hope for better days.
You’re with us while we wait.”
We talked together, this stranger and me, as the pilot of the plane flew us through the air. We fully trusted the pilot to take us where we hoped to go. Isn’t that so much like our Father! Isn’t that exactly what GOD promises us—He is faithful—He promises to bring us home when our days here are through. Our pilot—Our commander—Our Savior—Our God—Father, Son, & Spirit—We place our trust in His hands; HE will come for us, carry us, & deliver us exactly where we wish to go—INTO HIS PRESENCE FOREVERMORE.
WHY DO WE REALLY NEED JESUS?
Oh, the answer is so apparently clear!
- HOW COULD WE EVER LIVE WITHOUT JESUS?
- HOW COULD WE EVER LIVE SEPARATED from the PRESENCE of GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT!!
As the hours passed (eight hours to be exact), I came to know much about this stranger who I can now call by name—Timo (pronounced TEmo). We shared about our lives, about our careers, about those we love, about our passion for writing, about the uniqueness of this flight that brought us together, but most importantly—we spoke about the LORD GOD, and I began to see a miracle unfold. I began to see a difference, the way Timo seemed to move from adamant disbelief to blessed inquisitiveness. He began to ask more pointed questions, seeking evidence, wanting to know WHY I CHOSE TO BELIEVE, TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD.
There is a melody that speaks of the way the LORD moves, how HE brings people from darkness into His glorious light. HE causes (JESUS does) the lost to begin to see the TRUTH.
Thank YOU GOD for YOUR TRUTH!
“Everything is changing now; the Spirit of Lord is here.
Miracles are breaking out; Your presence is among us now.
The Spirit of the Lord is here; The Spirit of the Lord is here.”
“Everything is Changing” by The Belonging Co & Shantrice Laura
I do not know if the stranger I met on the plane ride home has thought more about our time together, about our conversation, but I have. We did not exchange WhatsApp numbers, so I may never know until I reach heaven, but that does not stop me from praying for him each day. That does not stop me from hoping that Timo will come to know Jesus as his Savior as I do.
In the Bible, the psalmist proclaims—
“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good [YOUR nearness, GOD, is good for me];
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.”
(Psalm 73: 28)
If we will obey God when He leads us to speak, He promises us that He will show up, that He will give us the words to speak.
If we allow every encounter we have each day, to draw us closer to Him, God promises to refresh our commitment, to grow our faith.
If we leave all the details to God as we walk as His ambassadors, doing His will, God promises to never leave us, to never forsake us.
WHY DO WE REALLY NEED JESUS?
Truly, I cannot really EXPLAIN why, but I do know why.
It is because HE gives us HIS PRESENCE within us—once we say, “Yes, LORD, forgive me; please be my Savior.”
It is because HE gifts us HIS PRESENCE as HE walks with us—once we say, “LORD, I am fully YOURS.”
Our Hearts. Our Hands. Our Feet. Our Mouths. Our Lives Belong to God.
“I Am Thankful” by Paul Baloche is a wonderful song that speaks of God. The glorious person of Jesus residing within can be somewhat difficult to explain because HOW DO WE DESCRIBE “THE GLORIOUS PRESENCE of GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT?”
AS BELIEVERS, WE REMAIN SO EVER THANKFUL FOR ALL THAT GOD’S SALVATION PROVIDES.
Today—This Day He Has Provided & Then Tomorrow & Even the Tomorrow after Tomorrow—Until We Arrive Home to Heaven, we cry out to God in thanksgiving, exclaiming—
“For all You’ve done
For all You do, I am thankful
For who You are, I am thankful.
For YOU. For YOU,
[FOR YOU, FATHER GOD]
FOR YOU, SWEET JESUS]
[FOR YOU, HOLY SPIRIT].
I am thankful.”