We need Jesus
It struck me as I read recently a chapter in the book of Matthew (first book in the New Testament) how desperately Jesus is needed in our world today.
Jesus came into a world much like our own. It was a world of false religion, violence, disease and death. He saved people. He healed people. He solved their problems. He came into their empty lives and gave meaning, purpose and direction.
We need his compassion today. Matthew 9:26 says, ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them’. Jesus sees when people are hurting and his heart is moved. When they turn to him for help, he always reaches out in love.
We need his power today. Most people today feel powerless before the raging storms of life. Although most of us have not seen our homes taken away by a hurricane such as Katrina, we have faced difficulties with which we cannot cope.
We need his forgiveness today. People in Jesus’ day were carrying guilt around like a bag of wet sand on their shoulders. But because he is God, he is able to forgive sin and cleanse the heart of unrighteousness. Only Jesus can meet the deepest needs of the human soul.
We need his companionship today. It is amazing how people who live among the teeming multitudes still feel so alone. Many do not feel that anyone cares about them, and that often is the case. But when Jesus saves a sinner, he dwells in the heart through the Holy Spirit. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
In order to benefit from the blessings which Jesus Christ brings, one must come to him in faith. To believe means more than just to accept the fact that he was a historical figure. It means to trust him with our lives. It means to bring our needs to him, lay them on his shoulders and let him solve our problems.
Jesus turns no one away who sincerely trusts his saving work. He died on the cross for sinners. He invites the weary and troubled to take refuge in his mercy.
John F. Thornbury
