Are we getting too familiar with Jesus?

Good morning friends.

Have you ever witnessed a child who has forgotten who he is talking to while talking to his dad? It is a known fact that you do not talk to your parents in the same way you talk to a your friends. Friends are equals, they are on the same level of development. On the other side of the equation you have moms and dads who have authority over you. That authority deserves, even demands, respect. It never goes well when a child forgets that he is talking to his dad. That child needs to remember that his dad gave him life, has feed him, clothed him, given him shelter, provided love and probably at least 20 great gifts in his short life. Respect is due him. Now, have you considered the same in your relationship with Jesus?

If your earthly father deserves respect, how much more deserving is Jesus, our heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit? In Colossians 1 Paul gives us a list of reasons why we should be filled with awe and worship every moment of our day. I am going to write it as a list:

     - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  
     - For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  
     - He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 
     - And he is the head of the body, the church; 
     - he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 
     - For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  
     - and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. vs. 15-20

If the power of this has not hit you then read it again and again until it finally sinks it. This is Jesus, the one who's name the world uses as an exclamation point. No wonder, it is a powerful exclamation point. However, it is also a thing of great disrespect for an incredible God. We can't expect anything more from the world than this because they have never met him, they don't understand. But we have met him; we understand what Paul has written here and we know that he is not some kid in the school yard. Read the list again.

We know that Jesus is our friend, our companion, our big brother. We are familiar and intimate with him as we should be and need to be. However, we cannot become so familiar that we lose the respect owing to him. It goes beyond what is owed; anyone of these things demand our respect, love and admiration. Even if we were to take away the cross for a moment, he is the agent of creation. Everything in existence is here because of Jesus and for Jesus. He is from the beginning and all things are held together by him. Considering who he is makes his act of love on the cross that much more incredible. When we refer to him as the King, he truly is the ruler over all of creation.

Did you let go or did you forget who Jesus is? Take some time today and get yourself oriented again. Sometimes our compass gets all messed up and we have to take the time to reset it. I understand why. Life is full, it is busy and we can forget in that busyness who is who. We can forget that we are not in charge, we are not gods, we do not have control over most of our life. There is only one who has authority over everything. There is only one way. So, take the time today to lose yourself in worship and remind yourself why Jesus deserves all we have and even more.