January-March
Who is Jesus?
He is the One who created us, together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Many realize that He is the Best Friend and only Saviour available to humanity; they appreciate His great love and mercy in coming to pay the price for our mistakes. To truly appreciate this inspires a change in lifestyle as the believer seeks to follow the outline for behavior given in sacred Scripture.
Some hearts are touched when they see pictures of Jesus uplifted on the cross of Calvary. But sadly, although they may be “stirred with strong emotion as they view the humiliation of Jesus, who shrink from following in His footsteps when they understand that they must be sharers in His humiliation and suffering. When Jesus asks the surrender of self without reserve, when He asks compliance with His government, and that they shall walk in humble obedience and implicit trust, their nature rebels. ‘No,’ says the proud heart; ‘we want to keep our independence.’ But this is the very thing that Jesus wants you to have. It was that you might be freed from the slavery of sin that He died on Calvary’s cross. He died that through faith in Him, you might be free indeed, and stand fast in the glorious liberty of the children of God.
“Contemplate the sufferings of your Redeemer, and you will find that a check will be put upon sin. Every sin that is committed is a reenacting of Christ's humiliation, a reopening of His wounds. Those who refuse to look upon Jesus lifted up upon the cross, who will not deny the inclination of their perverse hearts, who will not give up what they term their independence, their freedom to serve the author of sin as they please, will find their hearts filled with bitterness against those who accept Jesus as a personal Saviour. To them Christians will seem their enemies and injurers, and the gospel a sword. . . .
“Christians realize the blessing that comes upon those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they are filled. The blessing comes upon those who desire entire conformity to the will of God, who desire to know Christ and to reflect His image. Through the merits of Jesus Christ, they realize that nothing is reserved in the heart of God for them but the fountain of the water of life—tender mercy, loving-kindness, infinite compassion.”—The Bible Echo, March 26, 1894. So, when we think of wounding Jesus over and over again, that should really make us want to avoid inflicting such cruelty to the One who is tenderly watching over us at this very moment.
People do not identify a Christian only by what he or she does. It can often be what he or she DOESN’T do! The victorious Christian is not a slave to evil habits, but a master over them. What does that mean? It depends on the temptations you are facing. For one young person it could mean trusting in Christ to help you refuse an ice cream cone or avoid gossip. For another it would mean refraining from indulgence in a physical relationship that would drag you down spiritually. Or it might mean showing kindness to someone who mistreats you.
“The highest evidence of nobility in a Christian is self-control.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 301.
“Prayer, earnest, humble prayer, offered in faith amid the hours of darkness and gloom, brings light from Heaven to the soul. Peace comes to every heart for every prayer offered in faith. The soul is lifted above the clouds of darkness and error, conflicts and passion. Light, precious light, flashes from the throne of God, and is fitting up feeble men to become God's messenxgers in shedding light to the world. Trials patiently borne, blessings gratefully received, temptations manfully resisted, meekness, kindness, mercy and love exhibited, are the lights which shine forth in the character before the world, revealing the contrast with the darkness which comes of selfishness and unrestrained passion of the natural heart, into which the light of life has never shone.”—The Signs of Times, January 15, 1880.
May the powerful God of heaven inspire us to REALLY appreciate Jesus so much that it influences our life in a mighty way—that we may escape the slavery of sin in all of its various forms—and choose to live instead by His power in His way!