What does it reveal about human hearts when we look to other people to save, fix, or lead in ways only Jesus can?
Throughout history, people have been tempted to remake God in their own image. Likewise, across the ages, since the birth of Christ, people have sought to align Jesus with their own viewpoints, priorities, and desires to gain power and influence.
Yet there was, and is, only one Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, fully revealing the heart of God in his life, his teachings, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection.
In moments of uncertainty, division, and fear, the temptation to put God in the box of human expectations can grow stronger. Human hearts long for clarity and control. Human hearts long for someone to step in and make things right. And sometimes, we start to look for saviors in places where they were never meant to be found.
Union Family, there was, and is, only one Jesus! We have only one Savior and Lord, and as his disciples, we are meant to offer him our highest allegiance above all else. Yes, we are called to love Jesus for who he was and is rather than trying to reshape him according to personal preferences, ambitions, or agendas.
There was, and is, only one Jesus! So, we must always resist the temptation to make Jesus into something or someone that he is not. He is the one who humbled himself, who walked among the marginalized, who bore our suffering, and who gave up his life so that we might find new life. To follow him is not to elevate ourselves, but to humble ourselves, taking up our own cross daily, and to serve, and to love others as he first loved us.
May we surrender to the work he is doing in us. Because as followers of Christ, the goal is not to make Jesus look more like us, but for our lives, our hearts, and our actions to look more like his.
Jesus loves you, Union Family, and I do too!