The First Issue–Living Words
From June 9, 1985
Read John 10:11-18
What was the personality of Jesus Christ really like? Do you think he might have been like someone you know today? One thing you’d note about Jesus—like few others—is that his whole life was driven by a sense of mission. He was truly a man in a hurry. He had so many things to do and sensed there was too little time. The Scriptures tell us very little about Jesus “taking it easy.”
Perhaps you do know some busy people with a sense of “mission.” Yet there is quite a difference in that their “mission” usually means rushing to complete tasks that are self-centered. Their sense of urgency stems from the fact that they are in competition with someone else.
The Scripture also tells us that Jesus was confrontational without being competitive. He spoke the truth, unvarnished by public relations skills. You may also know someone like that today. But, here too, with Jesus there was a difference but always in the service of others. His sense of passion was not for himself but to spend himself in the service of others. You probably know very few people like that.
The central message of the Scriptures is that God cared enough to send the very best—his Son! What a gift that was! This week I will seek to share that Good News with someone else.
Larry Neeb
