The Whole Christ

Many of us get stuck on one aspect of Christ, and that limits our worship of Him. Some like to focus on the mighty king, some on the gentle shepherd. Some focus on the conquering hero, some on the sacrificial lamb. To focus on only one aspect of who Jesus is makes our worship of Him too small. "Christian worship must contain both the cross and the crown." If we take a look at what the Bible says He is like we will find that our idea of who Christ is begins to expand rapidly.

"He is the light, the way, the truth and the life. He is the Word made flesh, Immanuel...God with us. He is the hope of glory, the Good Shepherd of our soul. When we start paying more attention to some of the names of Jesus, the eyes of our hearts are opened to an even deeper realization of His wonders."

We could do this all day. Words cannot express all that is Jesus. Many times we think that Jesus is just in the New Testament, but don't forget to look for Him in the Old Testament too!

"In Genesis Jesus is the Ram at Abraham's altar. In Exodus He's the Passover Lamb. In Leviticus He's the High Priest...In Job He's our Redeemer that ever lives. In Psalms He is my Shepherd and I shall not want...In Isaiah He's the Suffering Servant...And in Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace...In Zechariah He is our fountain. And in Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness with Healing in His wings...In 1st Corinthians our Resurrection. In 2nd Corinthians our Sin Bearer...In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians He is our Soon Coming King...In Titus He is our Blessed Hope...and in Revelation, lift up your eyes, church for your redemption draws near, He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords."

We worship a Savior King, a Sacrificial Lamb who will reign on high for all eternity. We would do well to never forget it.

Enjoy the Journey

Mysteries So Bright

"The God we worship is clothed in mystery. He reveals and He conceals. He invites and He hides. He confounds and He confides. The God who rests but never sleeps. Who thunders and whispers, terrifies and befriends. Whose anger lasts only a moment, but whose favor lasts a lifetime. Who is all-consuming yet kind, all-knowing yet capable for forgetting the sins He forgives. The God who wounds and binds up, who injures and who heals. The King whose footstool is the Earth, yet humbly washed the earth from the feet of those He discipled. Who reigns in righteousness yet carried our shamefulness. Who walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day, yet sweated drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane one agonizing night. The God of the smallest detail and the grandest design, who issued ornate designs for an extravagant temple yet found pleasure in the humblest offering of a widow's two tiny coins there. The suffering servant who commands the universe. The sinless friend of sinners. The Savior who hung in agony on beams of wood He Himself had called into being. He is fearsome yet welcoming, unfathomable yet knowable. The God of kings and beggars, presidents and paupers. Who fathers the fatherless and works through our weakness. Burning with holiness, yet refreshingly graceful. He who is worshipped by the multitudes of heaven yet rejoices over a single returning heart. Perfect in every way yet able to help those who are being tempted. He who is faithful even to the faithless, for He cannot disown Himself. This is the God we worship-the God of all mystery."

A.W. Tozer says, "No one who knows Him intimately can ever be flippant in His presence." Are you in awe?

Enjoy the Journey