Who Is Jesus To You?
Who is Jesus to you?
Everyone is feeling the brunt of this brutal global health crisis. How has your faith fared in these unprecedented times? Are you closer to Jesus in a deeper, intimate relationship with Him; or has your faith waivered because of the pandemic’s disruption of your normal way of life? How do you find meaning in all of this?
The late Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias, told a parable about a rich man and his son. Here’s my synopsis of it:
The rich man had a huge art gallery of which he was very proud. His son was a terrific young boy who befriended a beggar in the streets. They developed quite a bond, and the boy made regular visits to the beggar. The boy described his father’s big home, the paintings in the gallery, and his family to his new friend. One day, the young boy stopped coming. Days went by, and the beggar found out the boy had suddenly died. The beggar then decided to make a crayon portrait of the boy – and somehow managed to get it to the rich man through the guard at the residence. Years went by, and nothing came out of this gesture. Then the beggar discovered that the rich man had passed away and that an auction was planned for his art gallery. The beggar found some nice-looking clothes and managed to squeeze through the crowd to attend the auction. He walked the halls to see if the boy’s portrait (the crayon one he had made) was hanging with all the other exquisite paintings -- and sure enough it was. The auction started; and per the conditions of the rich man’s will, the portrait of his son was the first to be auctioned. There were boos and jeers, with no offer until the beggar offered a bid with the meager coins he had in his pocket; no counteroffer, gavel pounded, sold! As he walked to pick it up, the gavel pounded again, and the auctioneer said there was a second condition in the will: whoever had the winning bid on the portrait of his son, would get the whole art gallery.
Friends, whoever has the Son, has everything! I want to encourage you today even in the midst of this crisis, no matter what your circumstances – if you have Jesus, you have everything. Jesus told Thomas in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you are trying to find meaning in all the chaos, allow Jesus to lead the way, speak truth to you, and let Him be your life. Jesus, the name above all other names.
By George Donkor
George, and his wife, Christiana are proud parents of five-year-old Annajoy and one-year-old Elijah. Immanuel has been home for them since 2006, where they serve in the iKidz Ministry and are members of the Connect group.
Everyone is feeling the brunt of this brutal global health crisis. How has your faith fared in these unprecedented times? Are you closer to Jesus in a deeper, intimate relationship with Him; or has your faith waivered because of the pandemic’s disruption of your normal way of life? How do you find meaning in all of this?
The late Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias, told a parable about a rich man and his son. Here’s my synopsis of it:
The rich man had a huge art gallery of which he was very proud. His son was a terrific young boy who befriended a beggar in the streets. They developed quite a bond, and the boy made regular visits to the beggar. The boy described his father’s big home, the paintings in the gallery, and his family to his new friend. One day, the young boy stopped coming. Days went by, and the beggar found out the boy had suddenly died. The beggar then decided to make a crayon portrait of the boy – and somehow managed to get it to the rich man through the guard at the residence. Years went by, and nothing came out of this gesture. Then the beggar discovered that the rich man had passed away and that an auction was planned for his art gallery. The beggar found some nice-looking clothes and managed to squeeze through the crowd to attend the auction. He walked the halls to see if the boy’s portrait (the crayon one he had made) was hanging with all the other exquisite paintings -- and sure enough it was. The auction started; and per the conditions of the rich man’s will, the portrait of his son was the first to be auctioned. There were boos and jeers, with no offer until the beggar offered a bid with the meager coins he had in his pocket; no counteroffer, gavel pounded, sold! As he walked to pick it up, the gavel pounded again, and the auctioneer said there was a second condition in the will: whoever had the winning bid on the portrait of his son, would get the whole art gallery.
Friends, whoever has the Son, has everything! I want to encourage you today even in the midst of this crisis, no matter what your circumstances – if you have Jesus, you have everything. Jesus told Thomas in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you are trying to find meaning in all the chaos, allow Jesus to lead the way, speak truth to you, and let Him be your life. Jesus, the name above all other names.
By George Donkor
George, and his wife, Christiana are proud parents of five-year-old Annajoy and one-year-old Elijah. Immanuel has been home for them since 2006, where they serve in the iKidz Ministry and are members of the Connect group.
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2021
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