Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26 NKJV
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:29 NKJV
Who is Jesus Christ? Holsman Illustrated Bible Dictionary states that Jesus’ proper name derives from the Hebrew “Joshua,” meaning “Yahweh saves” or “salvation is from Yahweh”. In Matthew 1:21 we see that God gave Him the name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. They also show that “Christ” is the Greek term for “anointed,” equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah. Therefore, He is our anointed savior, God’s beloved Son, whom He (God) is well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Colossians 1:15-18 state that He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible… He is the head of the body, the church.
Jesus is our Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). God revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16-17). Jesus is the life and the light of mankind (John 1:4); he came as a Light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Him will no longer wander in the darkness (John 12:46). He came to this earth to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, recover sight to the blind, set liberty to those who are oppressed and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly) (Luke 4:18-19). He also came so that we may have life and may have it more abundantly (John 10:10), to give us freedom and liberty (Galatians 5:1), to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10) and not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
Jesus is our teacher (Matthew 7:29) and a perfect example to us of who we should strive to be like. He was one of selfless humility and gentleness (Matthew 11:29). He was bold and confident in who He was and never compromised Himself and what He stood for or what He came to accomplish. He made Himself low so that His Father would raise Him up on Resurrection Day giving Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Like Jesus, we are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may also exalt us in due time (1 Peter 5:6).
Every question and advice you may have or want about every life situation can be found in His Word. Jesus is the word made flesh (John 1:14); He is the way the truth and the life, the only door to the Father (John 14:6 and John 10:7). The word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). In John 15:1-8, Jesus calls us to have a vine- branch relationship with Him where He is the vine, and we are His branches. For without Him we can do nothing since the branch itself cannot bear fruit. It is only when we abide in Him and His word, and He and His word abide in us can we bear much fruit and whatever we ask it shall be done for us, according to His will. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3: 16).
Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Pray this prayer with a sincere heart and you will be born again.
Prayer to be born again:
Dear Heavenly Father, I am a sinner, forgive me, I repent of all my sins. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I also believe that He died for my sins and that you raised Him up from the dead and is seated at Your right hand. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior from this day onward. I fully surrender and commit my all to you. Lead and direct me to do Your will and purpose for my life. I receive and thank You Lord for my Salvation. I pray this in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.
Now that you are born again and are in Christ, you are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). A new heart He also gave you, and a new spirit He put within you (Ezekiel 36:26). Now you are to walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).
The Prince of Peace by Akiane Kramarik
According to Wikipedia, Akiane Kramarik is an American poet and painter. She began drawing at the age of four. Kramarik’s best-known painting is Prince of Peace, which she completed at the age of eight. Kramarik professed she saw the face of Jesus Christ in her visions. Kramarik is a self-taught painter and says that Jesus spoke to her when she was four years old, encouraging her to draw and paint her visions. At the age of 8 years old, Akiane painted Jesus.
Wikipedia states that Kramarik has said Prince of Peace is her “favorite portrait” and one of her most memorable paintings. At age eight she had long been seeking the right face to help her paint an image from her dreams and visions when a family friend brought to her a carpenter as a possible subject. The man’s face closely resembled what Kramarik remembered as the face of Jesus. She completed the portrait in 40 hours of intensive work.
Wikipedia also found, at the age of four, Colton Burpo, whose story was featured in the best-selling book Heaven is for real and the film adaptation of the same name, underwent a critical operation after his appendix burst. Although it was not a near-death experience (his heart never stopped), he did say he had an experience of visiting Heaven and had visions of Jesus. Years later, when he saw Kramarik’s Prince of Peace on TV, he told his father “Dad, that one’s right.”
References: Wikipedia contributors. (2021, March 7). Akiane. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Akiane&oldid=1010824906
