The world is an astonishing place, full of excitement, danger, intrigue, mystery, mundanity, pain, hostility, beauty, courage, strength, fear, desire, love.

In this strange place of habitation we call Earth, there is a finite amount of time each life has to do that which is good and that which is evil. There is a finite amount of time even to determine what good and evil really is. We humans have only a finite amount of mental capacity with which to ascertain the true nature of reality. We walk according to sight, and our sight is dim.

But there is a breed of folk, bizarre and curious, who long to touch a realm higher than this physical plane. These people believe that there is an Entity, somewhere out there (or perhaps even among us), who is most certainly not finite, who is unlimited and unbounded by the stringent requirements of space and time; an infinite Personality who is the sole reason why reality is real and existence, well, exists. The finite calling the Infinite, these hardy souls — undeterred by millenia of political upheaval, philosophical turmoil, technological development, and ideological conundrums — give up their time, their energy, sometimes even their very lives, to pursue a path of spiritual discovery and divine obedience. People who walk by faith, not by sight, and their faith is not without due cause.

There are many things in the world that I do not understand, and there are many facets of life that completely mystify me. I don’t have all the answers, and I’m not even sure I always ask the right questions. But there is one single thing that I absolutely certain of. It consumes me by day and it haunts me by night. It has completely reshaped my dreams and has transformed my character. I am not the man I once was.

This thing which has utterly won me over is the knowledge and the revelation of a singular event in time, a moment in history which transpired in relative obscurity yet resulted in a phenomena that would come to define the future course of the world. It was the life of a man, a simple fellow who lived a simple life and who came from throughly humble beginnings. This man was destined by his culture and his people to remain obscure and forgotten, his aspirations and dreams and deeds and works gone like the desert wind. But he chose a different path. He taught people how to love. He taught people how to forgive. He explained to people were they’d been, he showed them who they really were, and he gave them a glimpse of who they might be.

This man spoke out against the hypocrisy and the evil of his day. He championed the cause of the oppressed, he gave the poor and the helpless the dignity and value they so richly craved. He brought life to the dying and healing to the sick. He gave of himself to everyone who had need of him. He amassed a following, and for a time he was in demand by all the people in his midst. But then a curious thing happened.

He died.

In a terrible display of justice gone awry, the religious leaders of the day and the governmental authorities of a mighty foreign power conspired to execute him despite the obvious fact that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. A combination of envy and hatred, mob rule, and weak legal authority gave rise to awful circumstances for this victimized man. He was accused of the most heinous crimes against the deep-seated beliefs of his people. He was mocked and ridiculed. He was cruelly tortured and viciously attacked. And then, just to top it all off, he was given one of the worst forms of capital punishment ever devised by man.

In one of his last breaths, his final statement amidst the agony of physical pain and unjustified death, he said these few words: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And then he was gone.

It should have ended there. That should have been the completion of the story, sad and pitiful. So much unnecessary violence and waste, but that’s life. Times change, people move on, history unfolds in different ways, and the cycle continues. Yet a very curious thing happened. Something that never would have invaded the dreams of the most creative storyteller; something that had been whispered of in holy books for a thousand years and yet nobody really believed. But believe it or no, something really did happen.

This man became alive once again.

For you see, this man was no ordinary man. He was an extraordinary man, the only one of his kind — a man the likes of which the world had never seen before but will most certainly see again. This man wasn’t just a man, but in him was the incarnation, the embodiment, the complete fullness and divine nature of the Spirit of the Living and Almighty God, the Supreme Lord over all creation and the First Cause behind everything that lived and breathed and existed in the universe. This man was the Son of Man, the ultimate human being who lived in perfect harmony with his Maker, for He was Himself the Maker, the second Person of God; God having revealed Himself to be triune in nature — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — three distinct personalities yet one complete and wholly united being.

And in this incredible and outlandish moment in time, the Son of God had come to dwell in the midst of humanity; the second Person of the Trinity came here among us to live a life of sorrow, pain, and death. Why? To restore the sacred bond of holiness, honor, favor, trust, power, righteousness, and love between man and God that had been diabolically severed at the dawn of the world.

Death was not the final end of this extraordinary man’s life. His mission was clear, and he knew from the very beginning that his purpose was not simply to die an innocent man’s death, but to be brought back to life by his Father in Heaven — to be Resurrected from the grave — and with him bring the gift of everlasting life to all those who would receive it. Life reconciled to the Creator, life lived in authority and power and love. Abundant life, richly blessed beyond all imagining.

This man’s name was Jesus Christ, and he walked the earth 2,000 years ago. And he is returning to claim the universal, worldwide Church that honors and reveres his name as His Bride. Of this I am absolutely certain. I know, because this Jesus is still alive today and seated in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father. This Jesus has taken away my sins and cleansed me from all unrighteousness. This Jesus has removed my heart of stone and given me a beating heart filled with the love of God for a hurting world. This Jesus has given me the mind-blowing gift of the Holy Spirit who lives within me and empowers me to live a supernatural, faith-filled life of power and holiness. I deserve none of this, and yet God is a merciful God who gives freely to all who ask him.

Jesus said these words 2,000 years ago, and they’re as true and as fresh and as relevent now as they were then:

“Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you.”

That is what this blog is all about. I have dedicated my life to asking, to seeking, and to knocking. I’m desperately hungry for the things of God, to know Him more deeply and intimately, and to do His will during my short stint here on Earth. He has poured out His Grace on my life time and time again. How can I not raise my hands and my voice in thanksgiving and praise every day forevermore?

This blog is an ongoing chronicle of my journey of faith. I humbly invite you to join me, and I sincerely wish to hear of your own life’s journey. We may see eye to eye on many things, or we may be worlds apart, yet one thing is certain: God loves you with an everlasting love. I can do no less.

Peace be with you, and may God bless you in ways you never dreamed possible.

Shalom,

Jared White
September 22, 2007
jwhite@sonic.net