Sitting here in my office on the corner of the Robert Hayes Auditorium, right next to the upper lake, in the middle of the Pine Barrens, and, quite literally, on the edge of the world, I find myself in awe. I’ve had quite a few of these moments lately. I am thankful to be able to say that. In fact, I am in awe right now. It is a beautiful Friday afternoon and I am listening to worship music. The lyrics sing about Jesus and say, “Your love never fails!” I am in awe of that truth.
There is plenty to be in awe of in this life; nature, music, art, technology, the sun, the moon, space, human consciousness, life in general…the list goes on and on, but the ultimate awe-inspirer is Jesus. I could end there but I guess I should probably explain. The title of this article is “Jesus is…” and that is what I hope to unpack…the fact that everything we, as Christians, base our lives around is found in and on the truth that Jesus is.
Now, I would say most people are aware that the Christian faith revolves around the belief in Jesus. I’d say it is also accurate that few people are familiar with what exactly this belief entails. I might even dare to go out on a limb and make the statement that many Christians themselves are not aware of what complete faith in Jesus means. And, please don’t get me wrong, I say all this with an awareness of my own limited knowledge in this area. Side note: I am just under four years removed from using heroin multiple times a day, every day and only began faithful Christian living after coming into the Colony of Mercy in 2019. Nonetheless, I feel confident in sharing what I am about to say.
Christians, and really all people, should be in awe of Jesus. We should be moved by the truths of the Bible. We should be transformed by the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ came to earth in the form of a baby, born of a virgin, lived as a boy, grew up into a man, remained perfectly righteous and holy throughout his life, taught the scriptures, healed the sick, cared for the weak, interacted with the selfish and sinful and ultimately died at the hands of his aggressors for their sake and ours. He then stayed in the grave for three days and then, miraculously, rose from that grave. Jesus then walked among the people yet again and proceeded to ascend to heaven where he took His seat at the right hand of the Father, God. That’s not all…in His ascension, He fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit. These truths should leave us in awe.
There’s also an awe-factor in response to reading the Bible, the Word of God. Here’s a great portion from Colossians 1:14-16 “14 In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” These truths are, to put it bluntly, life-changing.
When it comes to the truth of the Bible, the truth of Jesus, there is an inevitability factor. If the aforementioned truths are seriously being considered and received, there is no way that the recipient will remain unchanged. Hebrews 4:12 says, “12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Isaiah 55:11 states, “11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
I am thankful today that we have a Father in heaven who decides to reveal Himself to His children at any level. The depth of the truth of Jesus and His gospel is limitless. The eternal person of God is unfathomable. The ways and the workings of the Holy Spirit are mysterious. John 3:8 states, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Awe-inspiring doesn’t quite do it justice.
Written by James Serpico: James is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and the Director of Programming Ministries at America’s Keswick. He is a son, a brother and an uncle but, above all, James is a child of the Most High God. He is prayerful that his life will speak of the adoption and eternal inheritance that is found in Christ Jesus.
