“that God may be all in all.”
1 Corinthians 15:28b

I had a strange dream this morning. I’m not sure of the details, but the gist of it was someone/thing was discrediting Jesus. It was as if it was trying to prove Jesus wasn’t who he said he was or wasn’t a big deal. The intention was to silence me or at least tone me down. So, I’m going to do just the opposite.

What if Jesus had never come around? What might we miss?

Creation.

John 1:3-4 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Colossians 1:16-17 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Justice and Righteousness, Mercy

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Romans 9:21-23 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory –

Hope

John 4:10,14 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water….The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statures and be careful to obey my rules.

Forgiveness

Romans 6:23 For the wages for sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Matthew 9:6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralytic – “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Peace

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Honor and Glory

Philippians 2:5-11 Have this in mind among yourselves, which is your in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Wow, where do I stop? Verses keep coming to mind! I guess this is why John wrapped it up this way:

John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the whole world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Father, let me spend the day thinking about these things and others that Jesus has done for me. What a wonderful name his is, Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Copyright © 2020 Scott Powers