How Close are you With Jesus?

    A Frenchman was just called as an Apostle of Jesus Christ this week, in November of 2025. Most of the world did not pay attention or make note of it. The Christian world, which is composed in biggest numbers by the Catholics headquartered in Rome, the Eastern Orthodox spread across eastern Europe into the Middle East, and the panoply of Protestants spread across the entire world. Of course there are other Christians, like Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and still others. Most do not recognize Gerard Causse as a special emissary and holy oracle of the Jesus of the past, present, and future. We shall see, and know for certain, some day.

    Muslims have special beliefs in Jesus of Nazareth; there are close to a billion and half of them on the earth. So, all told, as those that revere Him as a holy prophet and leader, that is at least 3.5 billion people who posit love, faith, and hope in Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One, born over two thousand years ago.

    Some believe He was a fanatic or delusional, or simply an influential teacher, but had no extraordinary knowledge or powers.  Much less that He was a God. Some think that He was the enemy, which could make sense to some Jewish and other believers of God, or Allah, or Yahweh. Millions, upon millions, of people, innocent women, children, babies, men, and boys, have died, many in terrible and violent ways, in the name of Jesus. 

    There were those that thought they loved and worshipped Him, yet would torture and abuse and annihilate others in allegedly "doing His will". Not cool.

    While many of us, or most Christian believers, for that matter, think of Him and follow Him as the Prince of Peace, way too much violence and hate has been committed in His name. Despite His injunctions and peaceful mandates and counsel.

    We, the Christians, who like devote Catholics, pious Orthodox, Bible believing Evangelicals, active and temple going Latter-Day Saints, dogged and faithful Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists, and all others, are convicted that our way of the cross, or the path of following the Lord and Savior is right and holy, proper and correct: we can err greatly in how we execute His orders. Do good, not bad. Of course. Obvious, yes?

    Us Christians can be very wrong in how we mete out His values. Millions of variations of implementing His will for bad and good. Yet, most of us, I submit, do really good things in His name more than the negative ones. 

    This can be said of people of all beliefs, like those who are Hindu, or Buddhist, or agnostic, or secular humanistic or communist or atheist. We all try to do what is right. Right?

    Some of us believe in Jesus to the point where He takes all our sins, where in moments of great pardon or release we can let Him take our cares and sorrows. We find solace and relief in Him, in His supernatural powers that can cleanse us and empower us believers to move and grow and live in a more beautiful way.

    Can we be that close that He always heals us? Even for the fervent believers and followers of Jesus, this can be difficult.

    My mother, an ardent and close believer of the Lord all her life, in three Christian traditions, still suffered from bouts of serious depression, apparently not completely righted by the Masters of the Tempests. However, perhaps Christ saved and preserved her from worse?

    She is with Him now, we believe. In Heaven.

    Earth or beyond, we wonder how close we come to Him. I was thinking of making a scale from 0 to 100, one being the closest, while the other extreme being far from, even devilish. Sad and funny that some thinking they are doing His will can arrive at the most opposite.

    Anyway, I will post this now.

    Food for thought.

    And I will try to worship and celebrate Jesus my Lord today.

    God bless.