29. He Died To End Racial Tensions

Ephesians 2:14

I heard recently that the the most recognizable face in the whole world is the face of Jesus. Now folks, that is about the weirdest thing ever, because no one in the world knows what Jesus looked like! I guess they mean that painting of Jesus where He’s basically a white dude with flowing, light brown hair and blue eyes. Hmm. The New Testament never gives even one physical description of Jesus, but we at least know He wasn’t white. He was Middle Eastern, born in Israel. We do know that He had at least six Africans in His genealogy. But there is something more strange than the white Jesus painting everyone knows and way more sad, and that is that there have been people who claim to love Jesus but hate people of other races. The racial tension and hatred that has existed within the church has been one of the greatest tragedies of the church’s history and is absolutely detestable to the tender heart of God. In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul says that one of the reasons Jesus died on the cross was to remove the wall of hostility that exists between different races. I love Jesus because He loves everyone and He died so that everyone could stop hating and love one another.

28. He Keeps His Promises

Micah 5:2

When the very first humans walked away from God for the very first time, the world broke. It has never recovered from that initial act of rebellion, but even before the dust settled from the destructive convulsion of that sad treason, God promised that He would fix everything. He told Eve that she would have a Descendant who would overcome the snake, but where would He come from and who would He be? The entire human race have been the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, so who would the Rescuer be? Well, many years later God specified that out of all the people in the world, He would be one of the descendants of an old desert wanderer named Abraham. Abraham's grandson Jacob had 12 sons, but God said the Redeemer would come from Judah. Of all Judah's families, God promised David that his would be the line that would produce the One. Of all the places in the world, God said that this Hero would come out of Egypt and be raised in Nazareth, but that He would be born in a little village called Bethlehem. And on a quiet night in Bethlehem, when no one was paying attention, Jesus was born. I love Jesus because He has kept every promise God ever made to a broken, weary and needy world.

27. He Came On A Mission

Hebrews 10:5

When all three of my children were born, I remember having this feeling in the hospital that I wish I could talk with them. I remember rocking them in the middle the night, those brand new little eyes staring at mine so alertly and saying to them, "What a day you've had! I wish you could talk to me... I wonder what you're thinking about right now." One of my favorite Christmas verses in the Bible isn't even in the Gospels. It's in the book of Hebrews, where the author quotes Psalm 40. You see, thanks to the writer of Hebrews, we know exactly what was going through Jesus' mind when He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger and staring into the faces of Joseph and Mary on that first Christmas. I love Jesus because from the moment He came into this world, He was on a mission. Right there in the beginning of His life on earth, from the moment He started living in a body, His thoughts were, "God, you've given me a body and I'm here to use it to do Your will." Jesus was always on a mission to pay for us, to win us back, to give Himself. The word 'Christmas' means, "the mission of the Christ." The baby in Bethlehem was on a mission of love.

26. He Will Redeem Even Our Secrets

Revelation 2:17

Everyone has secrets. Everyone, even the most transparent and open person has things they are hiding. Everyone has old moments, thought patterns and destructive tendencies that we don't let anyone into. I bet most of the time we don't even acknowledge these ultra-dark sides of us to our own selves because we are trying to forget them and get away from them, but the truth is we can't. We can't change the past and we can't outrun our own dark hearts. I love Jesus because He is not only forgiving our sin; but somehow, in some feat of spiritual alchemy, He's not just going to sponge out our darkest stuff, He's actually going to turn it into something beautiful: an eternal heirloom of His transforming power. In Revelation 2, Jesus wrote a letter to the church in Pergamum where He says that in the end He will give to His overcomers a white stone with a new name, known only to the one who receives it. Wait... secrets in heaven? Yes. Jesus will give you a pure and unchanging new name that only you will know. It will be a little secret between you and Jesus, like an everlasting memorial of the way He buried your darkest stain and brought new beauty to life from the grave.

25. He Didn't Tell Me Everything Up Front

John 16:12

Two and a half years ago, we sold our house and part of the process was telling our realtor every single thing about it, good or bad, right up front so that we could fix the stuff that needed fixing and not be surprised by the home inspection. Same goes for buying a car: you want the whole story right now, because you have a right to know what you're getting in to. It doesn't really work that way in your spiritual life. Since I've been walking with Christ, He has dragged me through some absolute junk. I've had to go through things, endure things and do things I never would have chosen in a million years that I would have avoided in a life without Him, and He never told me about a single one of them up front. I've watched people I love live through incessant heartbreak and tragedy they never knew they would face before coming to know Christ, and He never told them it would happen. I love Jesus because He lets us in on what He's doing when we're ready for it and not before. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples they would be hated, hunted and killed. He said He didn't tell them at first because He was with them. If Jesus had told me up front all the crap I would go through in waking with Him, I may not have followed, and I would have missed out on so much, including life itself.

24. He Knows Me Better Than I Do

John 13:38

The coolest thing Peter ever said was more than he should have said. Don't get me wrong; I'm sure he meant every word of it. It was totally sincere, it just wasn't true. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He told His disciples that He was going away and that they couldn't go with Him. He had been warning them of His death and resurrection for months, but now it was time. The disciples were confused and afraid. Peter said, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." I love Jesus because He knew Peter better than Peter knew himself, and still loved him. Jesus looked into Peter's eyes and told him the truth about himself. "You'll die for me? Really? I know you feel that way now, but before the sun comes up, you're going to betray me." It must have been a shock to hear those words, but Jesus sweetly followed them up by saying, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. I'm going to come back for you and take you to be with me forever." He knows the depths of our troubled hearts more than we do and he loves us and wants us more than we do.

23. He Toasted His Betrayer

John 13:26

Jesus did a strange thing on the night He was betrayed. He toasted His betrayer. Now, it didn’t look like a toast in our culture; but it was. Jesus told His friends one of them would betray Him, and when asked who it would be, He said it would be the one to whom He would give the bread once He had dipped it in the dish. Most folks read right over that little statement, but it’s a big deal. You see, in those days and in that culture, this gesture was a high honor. It was like standing, raising a glass and proposing a toast. So, why would Jesus toast Judas? Jesus was reaching out to him one last time, pleading with him to change his mind. But wait... Jesus knows everything, right? He knew Judas would betray Him, right? It was even prophesied, right? Yes, Jesus knew what Judas was going to do, but still His love reached out to Judas, begging him not to. I love Jesus because His love even pleads with a mind made up for betrayal. Even now, Jesus reaches out to me when He knows the many ways I will turn my back on Him. Still His love pleads with me and appeals to me, knowing that one day I’ll choose Him instead.