The Next Door Savior

In the aftermath of 9/11 a group of religious leaders was invited to come to Washington and pray with President Bush. The group was well-frocked and well-known. You might wonder if I felt out of place. The only time I wear a robe is when I step out of the shower.

But when it came my turn to meet George W. Bush, I added, “And Mr. President, I was raised in Andrews, Texas—a half-hour drive from your hometown.” He smiled that lopsided smile and let his accent drawl ever so slightly. “Why, I know your town. I’ve walked those streets. I’ve even played your golf course.” It was nice to know that the president knew my home.

How much nicer to know the same about God. Yes, he rules the universe. Yes, he has walked your streets. He’s still the next door Savior. Jesus – above all powers? You bet he is!

You will Never Have To

Suppose you were to stand on a stage while a film of every secret and selfish moment of your life was projected on the screen behind you. Would you not scream for the heavens to have mercy? And would you not feel just a fraction of what Christ felt on the cross? The icy displeasure of a sin-hating God.

The Bible says Christ carried all our sins in his body. See Christ on the cross? That’s a gossiper hanging there. See Jesus? Embezzler. Liar. Bigot. “Hold it, Max! Don’t you lump Christ with those evildoers.” I didn’t. He did. More than place his name in the same sentence, he placed himself in their place. And yours! With hands nailed open, he invited God, “Treat me as you would them.” And God did.

“My God my God, why did you abandon me?” Why did Jesus scream those words? Simple – so that you’ll never have to.

Nothing in Between

Make no mistake, Jesus saw himself as God. And he leaves us with two options: accept him as God, or reject him as a megalomaniac. There’s no third alternative. Oh, but we try to create one! Suppose you came across me standing on the side of the road. I can go north or south. You ask me which way I’m going. “I’m going sorth. I can’t choose between north and south, so I’m going both. I’m going sorth!” “You can’t do that,” you reply. “You have to choose.”

When it comes to Christ, you’ve got to do the same. Call him crazy, or crown him as king. Dismiss him as a fraud, or declare him to be God. Walk away from him, or bow before him, but don’t play games with him. He is either hope or all hype. But nothing in between.

Hear Jesus

The Torah sends you to Moses. The Quran sends you to Muhammad. Buddhists invite you to meditate; spiritists, to levitate. “Step right up—try my witchcraft.” “Psst, over here. Interested in some new age channels?” Oh, the voices. And we pray, “Father, help me out! Please modulate one and relegate the others.”

If that’s your prayer, then Luke 9 is your chapter. The day God isolated the authoritative voice of history and declared, “Listen to him.” On the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus was praying with Peter and James and John. And his face became different, and his clothing became white and gleaming. “And a voice came out of a cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son. Hear him!’ (Luke 9:35). Hear Jesus amidst all the other voices. Listen to him.

In the Middle of It All

God gets into things! Red seas, big fish, lions’ dens, and furnaces. Bankrupt businesses and jail cells. Look, and you’ll find what everyone from Moses to Martha discovered: God in the middle of our storms.

A young woman missed her station on the subway. By the time she realized her mistake, she didn’t know what to do. She prayed for some sign of God’s presence. This was no hour or place to be passing through a rough neighborhood alone. At that moment the doors opened and a disheveled man plopped down next to her. “God, are you near?” she prayed. And the man pulled out a harmonica and played “Be Thou My Vision”—her mother’s favorite hymn. The song was enough to convince her Christ was here, in the midst of it all.

And you? Look closer. He’s there. Right in the middle of it all.

Jesus Is Victorious

The first man, Adam, was challenged to remain sinless in a sinless world. Christ, on the other hand, was challenged to remain sinless in a sin-ridden world. The Son of Heaven was tempted but never failed, struck but never struck down. He succeeded where Adam failed.

Here it is in a nutshell in Romans 5:18 (MSG): “Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it.”

Listen, you and I are no match for Satan. Jesus knows this. So he put on our flesh. He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin. He was victorious for us. Trust his work. Trust his Word. Hang in there.

Holy Thoughts

When you see the successful, are you jealous? When you see others struggle, are you pompous? Do you assume the worst about the future? If so, you suffer from what I call DTPs – destructive thought patterns.

Oh to be DTP-free. No energy lost, no time wasted. A lifetime of healthy and holy thoughts would render anyone a joyful genius. But where would you find such an individual?

Blame DTPs on sin. It messes with our minds. So, God changes us by changing our mind. By considering the glory of Christ. To behold him is to become like him. Give him your best thoughts, and see if he doesn’t change your mind!

An Uncommon Call

Jesus’ obedience began in a small town carpentry shop. His uncommon approach to his common life groomed him for his uncommon call. In order to change the world Jesus had to say goodbye to his world. 1 Peter 1:20 (TLB) says, “God chose him for this purpose long before the world began.” Every ounce of suffering had been scripted. It just fell to him to play the part.

When you come up with a word for such love, give it to Christ. For the day he left Nazareth is the day he declared his devotion for you and me. But God, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. Perhaps we’re not so common after all!

He Became Like Us

John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” The God of the universe left the glory of heaven and moved into the neighborhood. Our neighborhood! Why? Because He loves to be with the ones he loves.

There’s a remarkable story about a man injured in a fire. While attempting to save his parents, his face was burned and disfigured. He wouldn’t let anyone see him, including his wife. When she went to a plastic surgeon for help, he assured he could restore her husband’s face. But she wasn’t there to restore her husband’s face. She wanted her face disfigured so she could share in his pain.

It’s the way God feels about us. He took on our face, our disfigurement. He became like us to show us how far he will go to be with the ones he loves.

New Power

Suppose that for most of your life, you’ve had a heart condition. Your activities have been restricted. But then comes the transplant. You have a new heart. Within you dwells a new power. You might say, “I can’t climb stairs, I’m too weak.” Does your choice negate the presence of a new heart? Dismiss the work of the surgeon? No, it would suggest you haven’t learned to trust your new power. At some point you gotta to try those stairs.

The same is true in our walk with Christ. You have a new heart. You are not who you used to be. As a result, you can do what you could not do – you can forgive, you can love, you can live! Put your new heart to the test. You will climb the stairs, not by your strength, but by his.