Protect me Jesus

Parents of a young boy in Norwalk, CA, thought they did, but not quite. While babysitting for "friends," 20 year-old Jeremy Gallegos allegedly went on a crime spree, including liquor store robbery, while holding his friends' young child in his arms.

Well, crime spree might be too strong a term, but Gallegos certainly was arrested and booked on suspicion of robbery and child endangerment. While snuggling the child with one arm, Gallegos (allegedly) used the other to rob a man at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Norwalk store. Gallegos (allegedly) stole the victim's wallet and some alcohol -- just in case the little guy got thirsty.
The victim was not harmed.

All's well that ends well for the child and his family. But Detective Moore noted that although the boy is back with his parents, "they're not happy." No kidding. Next time, they might consider asking Grandma to babysit.

This story got me thinking …do we use the Christ Child for our own purposes?
The question is simple, why a relationship with Him is important in the first place? The truth is we love to use Jesus! We have a relationship with Him only for a means to an end. That end could be heaven or it could be peace on earth, or it could be a new yacht.

Second question? How do we know Jesus in the first place. We know Him because He came to us. However, He didn’t come and enter into our world to brag about his perfect life, with his virgin birth, and his wise actions/ways. He didn’t come to know the twelve and the thousands that followed so that they could all overthrow the leaders of their time. Jesus did come in order to establish a relationship with humankind. He was in the beginning with God and came that we might have life to the full. He came to relate to us and be in relationship with us. What was his reason?…Love! A love so boundless that his own death and resurrection would become the redemptive work for such a dark and broken world. Jesus has a relationship with people. Jesus doesn’t have these relationships so that they will follow him or so they will live for him or so that they will thank him. He has these relationships because they are his creation and He is Love! He doesn’t use us for his message, his message to us is His love!

Third question? Can we change the way we treat Jesus? Can we change the way we preach Jesus? Can we change the way we approach Jesus?

Our relationship with Jesus is designed to change us. When we become honest with ourselves and with Jesus we will be changed through our relationship with him. Our relationship will go from using Jesus to get what we want (physically or spiritually) to knowing him and understanding His love for us. Our prayers will change from constant petition to ceaseless conversation. Our disappointment will change from abandonment to lament. Our perspective will change from selfish desire to divine consideration. Our purpose will change from attraction to transformation. It is a process and journey and we gladly share in it together. Let’s dive in to relationship with God, Jesus, Spirit for simply knowing them.

Have a great Day

David