Jesus is Better

"A satisfying reality is not to be found in things or thrills, but in a Person--Jesus Christ." -Warren Wiersbe


In the midst of one of the most difficult seasons in my life, this quote is TRUTH.  Things or thrills, comfort or security, victory or defeat: Jesus is better.  It's the deepest truth that I believe, it's the core of my worldview,  but it's also a daily decision to choose it.

In a season of questioning and wondering, it is something I must believe every day.  I know what the Bible says, and the promises Jesus makes.  In John 10, he tells us that the life He offers is greater than life anywhere else.  He says in John 6 that when we come to Him and choose Him, we will never be hungry for anything or anyone else again.  And I know that when I chose Jesus, I was free from proving myself righteous, or earning my reward.  Jesus IS my reward!

And to daily believe that can only happen one way. 

In his letter 1 John, the apostle John is trying to convey this exact point.  You know Jesus is better, you've believed Jesus is better, so DAILY choose to believe He is better. 

"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His names sake.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children, because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one." (1 John 2:12-14)

His message is simple: REMEMBER THE GOSPEL! You know it and you believed it, so remember it this day! Remember how the Gospel made you alive, and who you once were.  Remember the hold sin had on your life, and the freedom brought by the Gospel! Remember it, and cling to it!

This is my daily hope, remembering the Gospel.  Understanding each day the work that Christ did for me and in me, to bring me that life He teaches about. The moment I allow my heart to stray from what the Gospel has done in my life, the "things and thrills" of this world become more appealing.

This is what John writes next:

"Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.  For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of the God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)

Remember the Gospel.  Cling to the Gospel.  Because remember what it was like chasing the "things and thrills" of this world.  They disappear and leave you empty.  They take you to places you don't want to be. 

As a follower of Christ, I must daily be confronted with the truth of the Gospel and the life that it brings, because only the beauty of the Gospel will make the pursuits of this world seem worthless.  If I allow my eyes and heart to forget for even one day the Gospel in my life, then Satan wins that day.

Jesus is better.  I believe it, and daily I must choose it.

When I want so desperately to be satisfied in Christ alone, and yet I'm overwhelmed when I wake up in the mornings with the need to provide for my family and pay the bills and buy food for my son that I fail to recognize my blessing in this season of unemployment!

I wake up every morning and can have coffee with my wife instead of rushing out the door.
I wake up and am able to change my sons diaper, laughing with him the whole time because of the "blessing" he's given me.
I wake up and am able to passionately dive into His Scripture and understand Him more.

Jesus is better than our sorrow AND our victory.
Jesus is better than our employment AND our unemployment.
Jesus is better than the things and thrills.

Jesus is just BETTER.