How do you want your Jesus? Perhaps with sugar and cream?

Far too many professed Christians treat Jesus like their Starbucks order. They seek the Jesus they want instead of the Jesus that is.

Even some churches and denominations approach Jesus this way. It seems to be in our human nature. It isn’t truth. We must take Jesus as He really is, not as some designer god we can fashion to meet our wants and needs. We aren’t given the choice between Armani or Old Navy.

We all want to have the loving, kind Jesus; the comforting Jesus. And He is most certainly that! But he is so much more.

As children, those of us brought up in Christian homes often saw and understood Jesus like the man with the lamb draped over His shoulder. Jesus brings comfort, hope to us. He is hope. He is comfort.

But we must remember that Jesus is God incarnate. He has the character and nature of God the Father. And God the Father is unchanged and unchanging from before the creation.

Many of us avoid the Old Testament God. All that destruction. All those demands. Accountability, for heavens sake. Just what’s up with that?

As we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus was not meek, and He was not always mild. In fact, He was often brutal when addressing the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin or even Pilate. And He placed many heavy responsibilities on His disciples (small “d”). That includes us, friends.

Nope, we can’t order up the Jesus we want. No “Jesus” menu. We must accept the Jesus that is. No adding sugar and cream or maybe a dash of Amaretto. No Jesus blended to suit our taste.

Being a Christian is not always easy. But for every sacrifice we give to serve Him, we are richly rewarded. Get to know Him. Establish that very personal relationship with Him. Tougher than nails, kinder than any grandma. That’s the real Jesus.

And He lives within us.

Shalom, Art