Have you ever wondered what it was about Jesus that made Him so exceptional? Why is it that of all the people to have lived on this little blue planet, He is the one who has made the biggest impression on Culture, History, Spirituality, religion, etc? Why do we divide our time line according to his birth (BC & AD), and hold our major holidays around events that focus on Him (Christmas, Easter)? How is it, that the book which is essentially His story is still on the best seller list over 1000 years after it’s’ release?
If you are Christian then your mind may automatically jump to the predictable answers that anyone who has driven past a church more than three times in their life is able to repeat. “He is the son of God, He died on the cross for our sins, He healed the sick and raised the dead.”
While I am not for a moment demeaning any of the above, I need to ask the question; “could it be that we are missing something else, something truly inspirational, because of our satisfaction with the predictable?” In other words, have we become so indoctrinated with the copy paste theology that we have heard over and over again, that we don’t take the time any more to explore for ourselves the multidimensional, infinitely complex, unbelievably surprising character of this; Son of God, Son of Man, Servant, King, Teacher, Healer, Friend, Shepherd, Saviour who is Jesus Christ?
I really believe that if we have the courage to push past all that we think we know, we will begin to realise that we have only just begun to learn. Let us not be so arrogant as to assume that we have this all figured out, we don’t. We are Amateurs in the hands of the master and it would be wise of us to be still and listen so that we could learn all that there is to be learned.
So why Is Jesus so exceptional? Certainly for all the reasons already stated and so many more.
One of the reasons I believe Jesus has so profoundly impacted our world is because of something I have come to call “A LIFESTYLE OF INTEGRITY.”
Simply put Jesus walked the talk. His life is what gives His message integrity. When Jesus calls us to pick up our cross, and surrender our lives, this call to a fully committed faith has integrity because Jesus knows what it means to take up His cross and Surrender His life to God, He has done it. When He says Turn the other cheek, love your enemy, trust in God, there is an authority that lies in the fact that Jesus has lived out those things which He calls us to do.
What about you? What about me? Can we honestly say that we have a Lifestyle of integrity, do we walk the talk. Or are we like many Christians in the world today, happy to stand in the limelight of the pulpit without having first knelt in the dirt with the broken.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
My name is Matthew Lewis; I am a 24 year old guy trying to figure out how best to live for Jesus in the world today. I work as a youth pastor and love music. My greatest passion is to see people (young people in particular) connect with the one who makes life worth living, to liberate people from restrictive mindsets into the freedom of an authentic relationship with God, through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.