May I share an opinion with you? It is kind of a big deal. 

I don’t think some people know the real Jesus. If we did, we would like him—and we would be highly motivated to live like he lived; love with abandon as he did. We would have more freedom and less bondage. 

Jesus was a great guy. People liked him once they got to know him; especially people we might suspect would never like him. God incognito. “Sinners” were drawn to him. Religious people? Not so much. Check out Matthew 23.

I fear that some have been deceived…some of us may have been sold a version of Jesus that does not align with the real Jesus of the New Testament. No one meant to disciple us in this direction. Maybe a church leader unintentionally misguided you. Possibly an author or a parent gave you a certain version of truth that wasn’t entirely accurate.

My wife recently told me about someone who suggested that we read only the RED LETTERS in the New Testament—for one year. Just Jesus’ words. Maybe a little extreme, but…maybe not. 

Color outside the lines. Think for yourself…what do Jesus’ words say? No need to make it complicated. We believers can have a way of making the simple complicated. Jesus, on the other hand, loved making the complicated simple. 

What if we made it a point to hear with a new set of ears? See with a new lens? Drink the “new wine” Jesus himself insisted his followers drink (which means getting rid of old wineskins and adopting a new paradigm so you can digest the new wine, aka, new thinking). 

Maybe we need to choose to read an author or listen to a podcast from someone who we were advised to NOT listen to. Maybe, just maybe, we can learn from someone who thinks radically different than we do. 

To authentically care about others in our lives, we might want to get to know the real Jesus…not someone else’s version of the “true Jesus.” ASK HARD QUESTIONS. Don’t be rebellious, but do be willing to rebel a little. Follow your spirit-sanctified gut….and I bet you will find that the Spirit will reward that line of reasoning. (Check out Jeremiah 29:13).

“Your desire to please God does, in fact, please God.” (Thomas Merton) 

Begin a personal revolution, be a revolutionary…insist on discovering the real Jesus… and trust your intuition as you immerse yourself in his life-giving words. He WANTS you to know him. 

iCare is about building healthy relationships. That’s why I thought we should chat today about a healthy relationship with Jesus. He’s the real deal.