THE MAN IN WHITE
If you’ve seen a DRIME performance, you’ve probably noticed the man in the white shirt. Who is he? In all of our dramas, the character in the white shirt represents Jesus. So who is Jesus?
Jesus of Galilee lived two thousand years ago. Who did this guy think he was, anyways? Jesus is an utterly unique person who made some pretty bold claims. He claimed, for example, that he had the power to forgive other peoples’ sins. He also claimed that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. He even accepted worship from his followers. Among first century Jews, accepting worship was a capital offence because only God could be worshiped: Jesus was claiming to be God!
Jesus proved his claims
But Jesus didn’t just make the claim to be God: He backed it up. He proved this claim with a flawless life, amazing miracles, and stunning preaching. The crowds who gathered to see him cried out “Nothing like this has ever been seen!” and even the guards who were told to seize him exclaimed “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” (Matthew 9:33, John 7:46)
Jesus’ final confirmation of his unique identity is the most awe-inspiring of all. He willingly died on the cross, accepting the punishment we rightly deserve, so that by believing in him and committing our lives to becoming more like him, we could receive God’s gift of eternal life. Not by our own effort – by which we’re guaranteed to fail – but instead given freely by God to anyone willing to accept it. Jesus didn’t have to do this for us. But because God loves us, and also rightly demands justice, he paid the penalty on our behalf.
God so loved the world
Maybe you’ve seen people holding John 3:16 signs at football games, or remember hearing it somewhere else: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In The Message it’s translated this way:
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.
God has reached out to you. He wants to be in your life, but he won’t force his way in. Part of the way God proves his love for us is by letting us choose. You can live without God, but if you accept what Jesus did for you he will satisfy your soul cravings.
All relationships start with a conversation. If you want God in your life, talk to him. That’s what prayer is – talking to God. You could pray something like this:
God I need you. I don’t want to do this alone. Thank you for loving me enough to send your son. Forgive me for the wrong that I’ve done. Thank you for giving me a fresh start. I invite you into my life.
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