A Letter to  Jesus

Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. Today, we ponder the meaning of a spiritual rebirth as described in this letter to Jesus. I recount the initial acceptance of Jesus, the testing, followed by despair, and then the struggle to be spiritually reborn, and finally the new birth 

And now, sit back and listen to today's message. 

A Letter to Jesus 

Jesus said," Verily, verily, I say unto thee except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John, Chapter 3, Verse 3.  

Dear Jesus,

Father-Brother, I send greetings. I know that you know all my heart's desire, and all my thoughts.

It has been quite a few years now since I first heard about you. I was very enthusiastic when I first received you as my personal savior. I was so happy that summer night of long ago, but when I awoke the next morning, the happiness was gone. That good feeling was no longer there. But still everybody talked about you, and told me how good you were. They were very happy for me. They told me that now that I was saved, I would not have to burn in the fires of hell forever and ever. I was certainly glad of that. I could not imagine burning in a fire forever and ever, but as I watched the fire burning in the stove, I knew that I did not want any part of that.  

But still my life did not change much, nor did the lives of those around me. I still had the same problems then as before you became my savior. People still talked about you all the time, but as far as I could tell all that talking and praying did not seem to help them very much in changing their lives, but still I was glad to have escaped from the burning fires of hell. There the whole matter rested until tragedy struck in my still young life. Death claimed my mother.

It was there and then, that I realized that I did not know you very well, or know what you were really all about as I fled into the darkness of sorrow, grief, that only now am I beginning to emerge from. For years, I drifted, becoming more and more sorrowful each year, and my pain only deepened as I struggled through the night of life, trying my best to become happy. It seemed as if the more I sought happiness, the more unhappiness I found.  

Finally things got so bad that I just could not go on anymore. Everything that I valued, I had lost. I wanted to die. The people that I loved the most revealed that while they might need what I could give them, they certainly did not want or love me. Then, Lord Jesus, in the very midst of my despair, You sent two of your sons and daughters to proclaim your love and mercy for me.

And looking back, I must admit that I did not feel too much love at first. My world as I viewed it had come to an end, and I did not see how anything could change that. Your love that you sent did not change my shattered world. That was destroyed. I could not have back what I had lost, but I could have something better, if I only could let go of what had already been lost. But some of your love did give me enough will power to keep on struggling, though at times, I could not see why. The people who were supposed to love me still did not, and in fact increased their contempt for me.

But eventually, I became strong enough to take another look at you after I was shown that you were love. You know Lord Jesus, I could not understand how you could be love when there was so much hate in the world. I was told by your two disciples to keep praying-that eventually you would bring something good out of all this. And Lord Jesus, you know how I prayed. I prayed so much my knees and elbows became so sore that I could no longer get on my knees, and I had to sit in a chair to pray to you.  

And all the time, still your disciples kept revealing you to me in their tireless acts of love, mercy, and patience. They loved me when I did not love myself. How I wished during that time, that I might just go to sleep and never wake up or that someone would just blow my brains out since I felt that my state of existence was worst than death. But still your disciples kept on loving me, showing me mercy and patience.

Gradually, I finally reached the point where I realized that if I wanted to live, I would have to find you, that you were in fact my only hope. But how could I find you if you were in heaven, and I on earth? But your two disciples kept on telling me that you were love, and that I should search for love, and that by searching for love, I would find you. But how could I search for love when all I ever found was pain, sorrow, and disappointment? 

But then I realized my mistake. I was looking for human love rather than divine love. So I began to search for divine love, and found myself becoming like your two disciples. The more I searched, the more I found people coming into my life who needed love, and somehow, someway, love began to flow through me, bathing me in the process, causing me to show mercy and patience.

You know Lord Jesus, you are a funny kind of fellow, like no one I have ever known. You have not removed my burdens, but you have given me strength to bear them, as well as strength to bear someone else's burden. You know Lord Jesus, I think I am beginning to know what you are all about. You are love, unselfish love. You are mercy, unending mercy. You are patience, eternal patience. You are life, life without end. You are joy, never changing joy. You are the hope of life, the savior of all who desire eternal life. You are peace, peace in the midst of strife. You are strength and courage. You are the perfect gift.  

I know Lord Jesus that you understand the need of your children for experience, and that which they can do for themselves, you do not for them. So Lord Jesus, I just want to tell you that I am strong enough now to work in your field of salvation. My hands are on the Gospel plow, and as the plow of salvation moves forward, being pulled by the horses of love and forgiveness, plowing up the weeds of evil and the stones of sin, and as the fertilization of mercy is spread over the newly plowed field, I will plant the seeds of salvation. And though the hands of may soul may become calloused, I will not stop. I will be faithful to the end. And one day Lord Jesus, I hope to see you in person, and tell you all about this in person. And thank you so much for calling me into this marvelous light. Thank you for everything, especially Your two disciples.

With Love,
Your son, James

This concludes today’s message on the meaning of the spiritual rebirth. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day. 

Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.

Your Kingdom Come;  Your Will Be Done!
Inspirational Messages of Light
By Dr. James Perry
A  Letter to Jesus