A Lot Of Jesus
A “little Jesus” is a big thing right now. If you go online, you can order them by the dozen, by the 30 or by the 3-5 hundred! They are little rubbery figurines with long brown hair, a beard and a robe. Each stand about an inch and a half high. Some people have taken it upon themselves to distribute a “little Jesus” to anybody and everybody they come into contact with along with a catchy phrase like, “a little Jesus goes a long way,” “everybody needs a little Jesus,” or “we all need a little Jesus in our life.” They are cute, engaging, and thought-provoking.
At Christmas time, people are more open to a little Jesus than at other times of the year. Individuals might dust off their Bibles at home and devote to reading a little bit of the word of God every day. If you read a chapter a day, starting with the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke on December 1st, you will finish the entire gospel on Christmas eve. Families that rarely mention Jesus might put up a little nativity scene somewhere in the house or participate in a little Christmas program at a church in their community. Conversations about gift giving might direct a little attention to the wise men traveling from the East or to the shepherds coming down from the hills to worship the baby in the manger. Some might listen closely for a little while to the words of traditional Christmas carols that tell of Jesus’ birth. Others might stop and think a little bit deeper about Jesus as their busy routines are interrupted by lights, travel, and the Christmas hustle and bustle.
All these little encounters with Jesus are well and good. After all, Jesus had nothing more than a little beginning on this earth, being born as a little baby and laid in a little manger in a little town of Bethlehem. But had Jesus stayed little, He would have never had the miraculous life that He came for. A little Jesus would have never been dipped in the Jordan River by John and would have never preached the kingdom of God. A little Jesus would have never cast out demons and healed the sick and the blind. A little Jesus would have never rebuked the religious hypocrites. And, most importantly, a little Jesus would have never died on the cross for us, rose again from the dead, and promised to return in a great and mighty fashion.
As you consider Jesus, take a little time to appreciate the little ways that a little Jesus can impact your life in little ways. But do not be content with a little Jesus. Let Jesus grow in your life, just like Jesus grew in His ministry. Believe on the Lord Jesus and let Jesus become the greatest and most important part of your life. Let your little ways with a little Jesus dwindle as you aspire to the maximum righteousness of having the greatest portion of Jesus in your life. After all, “a lot of Jesus goes a long way,” “everybody needs a lot of Jesus,” and “we all need a lot of Jesus in our life.”
“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” Philippians 3:8-10