I must not put myself at too much of a distance from Jesus Christ. As I read of His mighty works, teaching, preaching, and living, I am often tempted to say as an excuse for myself, “But He is the Son of God.”
True, He is the Son of God. But if I put too much distance between Himself and me because of His unique sonship, I have missed the message of the New Testament. Christ lived His earthly life in the strength and power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16; John 3:34). He triumphed over the sins, ills, and woes of man by dependence upon the Spirit, not by reverting to His deity. He stripped from Himself every other dependency except faith. He did this to live as we have to live, that He might demonstrate that victory is possible in the very center of our human condition.
Jesus Christ is not a tantalizer; He is a Savior. The works He did, He said, we can do (John 14:12). The peace He enjoyed, we may enjoy (14:27). The joy that characterized Him and made Him radiant can make us radiant also (15:11). He is the “Author” (or Pioneer) of our faith. As such, He shows me what victory is. But He is also the “Finisher” (Perfecter) of our faith. As such, He shows me how to attain that victory. What Jesus Christ was, He is able to re-create in me; what Jesus Christ did, He is able to redemonstrate in me.
Let me never again deny who Jesus Christ is. I will deny it if I keep insisting He is a heavenly person instead of a person from heaven who invaded humanity by taking flesh upon Him. Once Jesus Christ became flesh, He forever undercut my excuse for failure. I must now accept Him for what He truly is—a Savior who begins on my level! “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14, NIV).
“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).
Daily with the King 