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Jesus loves us too much to leave us where we are. - Trip Lee

Jesus Is Not Your Homeboy
by Trip Lee, Rise: Get Up and Live in God's Great Story

One of my favorite parts of each day is my son’s bedtime.

There is the selfish part of me that thinks, Yes! Freedom from the tyranny of the toddler! But what really makes this part of the day so special is that I get to read to my son. I’ve been waiting my whole life to use some of these special voices without people thinking I’m weird. My son is two years old, and this is my chance.

Lots of our family members have kindly purchased books for my little one, many of them Christian books that summarize Bible stories. Some of these books are amazing, and others are not so amazing. My biggest problem is often with the illustrations. They often make Jesus look like a weirdo.

I was looking through one of them and saw a picture of Jesus in a field with beautiful hair and a bunny on His shoulder, smiling while He played the ukulele. Are you kidding me? There are some things Scripture doesn’t talk about, but I’m pretty sure my Lord did not play the ukulele or let rabbits sit on His shoulder like parrots.

That’s an extreme example, but many of the other pictures we get of Jesus aren’t much better. He’s weak, soft-spoken, and unable to defend Himself against Roman soldiers. I don’t know who that guy is, but my Lord wasn’t weak. In fact, He’s the Almighty. When He was on earth, He told waves to calm down and they obeyed Him. Evil spirits threw tantrums when He showed up in their towns. He’s the God-man, and He’s worth following.

More Than Another Guy

I remember the first time I heard Kanye and Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne album. In one of the songs they made mention of Jesus, which may be exciting to some, but not to me. They listed some other historical figures like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and then they mentioned their wives.

They also mentioned Mary and Joseph. And then at the end of that list they threw in Jesus, baby Jesus to be specific.

When I heard that, the first thing I thought was, Those guys don’t understand who Jesus is. I’m not trying to judge their souls over what’s in a rap album, but there’s no way you could treat Jesus like just another guy if you knew who He was.

People constantly talk about Jesus as if He were just another good man and a good teacher. This couldn’t be further from the truth, but people have been making this mistake for a long time. Jesus asked His disciples,

Who do people say the Son of Man is? - Matthew 16:13

He was referring to Himself with that title.The disciples had been around enough to hear what people were saying about their leader. I can imagine that as Jesus asked that question, different guys were chiming in with stuff they’d heard. They responded,

Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. - Matthew 16:14

Now, you notice that no one responded with any negative views of Jesus. All the responses were positive, but none of them was really the correct response. Yes, all these men were honored, amazing, historic men of God. But none of them were who Jesus was. In fact, Jesus created those men! When Jesus asked the disciples who they said He was, God revealed the correct answer to Peter:

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. - Matthew 16:16

Jesus was way more than just some prophet or teacher. And to point to Him as anything less than the King of kings, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, is to reject Him and insult Him.

This is a King worth handing the keys of my life over to. Why wouldn’t I deny myself for the opportunity to be led by Him? There’s no one more trustworthy. There’s never been a more humble servant or triumphant deliverer.

So every day I choose again to get up and follow Him, and though it’s never easy, He’s always right. Real love doesn’t overlook harm to make you feel better in the moment.

Real love tells the truth even when it’s hard.

Jesus loves us too much to leave us where we are. And He died to take us to the Father.

Watch the Video for Rise

Excerpted with permission from Rise: Get Up And Live In God's Great Story by Trip Lee, copyright Thomas Nelson, 2015.

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Your Turn

Is Jesus the King of your life? What is your relationship with Him like? What do you want it to be like? Join the conversation on our blog! We would love to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily

Special Offer

Save 20% off and get free shipping when you pre-order Rise: Get Up and Live in God's Great Story! Launches nationwide on January 27!

Regular Price: $16.99 Sale Price: $13.59

Society says youth is a time for carefree self-expression, but Trip Lee says God has called us to Rise from slumber, to fly above low expectations, and to live for the risen King.

The world tells us that our early years in life are to be merely enjoyed rather than devoted to serious, meaningful pursuits. We’re told that responsibility and commitment are burdens to be put off as long as possible. As a result, most young people remain in a sad state of slumber— sleeping in on life until forced to get up. The problem is that life has already begun. God created us for so much more than life as usual. And living an abundant life is a privilege. In this powerful book, Trip Lee argues it’s time to wake up and Rise, to live the way we were created to live. Young or old, we’re real people now, and we’ve been called to live for him. Right now. Young believers face the same problems as older Christians, but we feel them in unique ways. Rise addresses those core problems in a profound, galvanizing, life-changing way. Don't just sit there: RISE!

Learn more about Rise....

What People Are Saying About Rise

"Trip's written a book that I think every young person needs to read. His passion for Jesus and this generation comes through loud and clear on every page. I can't wait to see the impact this message has on a generation that's hungry for purpose." - Lecrae, Grammy awarding-winning artist

"Rise is a phenomenal book that captures the heart of our culture. As soon as I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Trip challenges you to be REAL, and shows you how to live your life as as a young adult in the world today. Great read." -Sam Acho, NFL Linebacker, Humanitarian

"I loved reading Rise. Many times in this book I found myself meditating over pages after I read them. I was encouraged, inspired, and challenged all the way through. The culture expects us to waste time but God wants us to use our time for impact no matter our age. This is an amazing read for those who want to use their time wisely and make a difference for the Kingdom. - Justin Forsett, NFL Running Back

"This book is mature. It values the mature. It respects age. Trip is wise beyond his years. He sees already what years teach. Every breath is a gift. Every moment a trust. 'Wasting time is insanity. It’s like burning money. The only difference is you can make more money, but you can never make moretime.'" - John Piper

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