ROSCOMMON – Is Jesus Better? Recently a personal testimony was shared with me regarding this very question. It was the testimony of a person who had been “all in” to the homosexual lifestyle and was miraculously delivered from it. The transformational turning point in his life came when he realized “Jesus was better”. Jesus was better than all the pleasure, self-indulgence and pride. Jesus was and is better!
If you want to look in the mirror and take a self-examination of your spiritual life, this is a great question to ask - Is Jesus Better? Is my life the reflection of a life choosing Christ? Maybe I should ask the question this way - Am I pursuing things in my life as though they are “better than” being with Jesus? OUCH!! I would like to deny and rationalize, but the truth is yes - I am oftentimes living as though my dreams, goals, desires and stuff are “better than” Jesus.
Heather Holleman, PhD and author said it this way - “Knowing and enjoying Jesus is the point of the Christian life, and when I lose this essential truth, I’m doomed to a life of forever chasing after the next dream. I will continually compare my life to that of others, imagining their happiness and their joy, while bemoaning my own situation”. As a chosen child of God seated in Christ, I must begin to believe that knowing Jesus and being with Him is better than any life I could design or even imagine for myself!
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul penned a prayer for them expressing this very truth. Paul's desire was that he and all Christ followers would come to know and love Jesus above all else. He wrote - “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17 To know Jesus is to know He is better. Knowing Him better leads to loving Him better and Enjoying Him more than anything this world could possibly offer.
Is Jesus Better? Let the question penetrate to the very core of your being. Let it unravel your grandest dreams and elaborate plans. Let it replay in your mind and keep you from serving temptation’s call. Let it reveal your true motives and empower you to rest in Him. As Christians, we cannot allow sin and selfishness to rob us of all Christ has for us.
Can the world offer peace? Unending joy? Unfailing love? Unconditional acceptance? Hope? Salvation? Contentment? …and the list could go on. The resounding answer is no! JESUS IS BETTER! ALWAYS WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mick Schatz serves on the staff of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. He is the State Director of Spiritual Enrichment and Retreats and lives at Bambi Lake.
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