Is Jesus 'Nice'?

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." 

"Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"...

"Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

So, if we are to be like Jesus, we are to be good. However, does that mean we need to be nice?

So, purely from the biblical records that we have, was Jesus nice? 

The word nice is not to be found in the Bible. While both nice and good are positive words, nice focuses on being outwardly (and superficially) pleasant and polite, whereas good runs much deeper, pointing to moral character, real care for people, and inner integrity. 

We know from scripture that Jesus was loving, compassionate, and kind. However, modern definitions of niceness - avoiding conflict, being inoffensive, having a polite demeanour - do not fit with what we know of Jesus. 

Not sure? Why not re-read the Gospel accounts of Jesus with this in mind?

All Shall Be Well ...

The words of Julian of Norwich (as shown in the adjacent image) have echoed down to us across the centuries. They remain one of the most enduring and reassuring expressions of Christian optimism ever written.

Julian was a medieval English Catholic mystic, who lived in the 14th Century. Her writings, now known as Revelations of Divine Love, are the earliest surviving English-language works ever attributed to a woman. 

Her birth name isn't known. Her recorded name is taken from St. Julian's Church in Norwich where she lived as an anchoress for most of her life (a woman who locks herself away to be closer to God). 

Christian optimism, as Julian expressed it, is the conviction that divine love has the final word. Do you believe that?

God is good - a reminder

For the Lord is good.      

His unfailing love continues forever,      

and his faithfulness continues to each generation.   

Psalm 100:5 (NLT)

A continuing theme throughout today, where so many things haven't quite gone to plan. Still, God is good. 

A reminder ...

Does that make things clearer? 

 

To Be Like Jesus ...

To be like Jesus!

This hope possesses me;

In every thought and deed,

This is my aim, my creed;

To be like Jesus!

This hope possesses me;

His Spirit helping me,

Like Him I’ll be.

(written by General John Gowans for the musical, Spirit)

Our Job

 

Just to confirm...

 

Keep Fighting!

 

Deepest Love

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." 

Ephesians 4:32  

In a nutshell....

Disciples ...

'Nuff said. 

 

Love them all

 

Spread Love

 

Ten Ways To Love

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

If only ....

Food for thought. Are you doing your bit to spread the love around?

Love is the Answer

A quick prayer ...

 

Get The Message?

 

Unconditional Love

Here are the two greatest commandments: 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" ... and

"Love your neighbour as yourself."

 

The Two Most Important Things

I've got a day off today. And even more surprisingly, I'm not trying to cram my non-working day with hundreds of little jobs so I can put off the most vital part of a non-working day. To sit and rest. Push that off button and reset myself.

I did a lot of those silly little jobs yesterday. Today is a sitting and blogging day. Tomorrow looks like it'll be another running around day. Oh well...

However, today is for blogging. Serious blogging. Spending an hour or two to put my thoughts down onto a computer screen. 

And, as I like to do when I blog, I take stock of where I am personally. Not just to upload the odd graphic, to keep the feed running. Something a lot deeper. 

I've done a lot of deconstructing recently. And stocktaking. Instead of mourning the activities I had to give up after lockdown, I've been re-prioritising. Adding certain things back into my calendar, keeping other things out. Stripping my life back to basics. 

And those basics, spiritually, I've got down to two things. Two Most Important Things.

The two most important things Jesus asked us to do was 

1. to love God and 
2. to love people. 

It sounds so simple, because it is - but it’s actually very difficult. 

Point 1 is Loving God with all of my heart, soul, and mind. This means letting go of my way of doing things. In many ways it has meant re-reading familiar readings and asking myself if I have truly understood what is being said. And in many cases it has meant asking Jesus for a fresh understanding of His teaching. 

Point 2 is Loving people - which means loving them exactly as they are. It’s particularly easy to love lovely people. God asks us to love all kinds of people. Which means I have to constantly check my motivations, my thoughts, my words.

36 ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’

Matthew 22:36-40, New International Version - UK