I like Jesus...

I was thinking recently about how much I like Jesus. I know it may seem a little plain, simple, or even shallow to simply say “I like Jesus”. I mean there are so many other words that could and should be used to describe my affection for my savior. Statements like I love Jesus, I worship Jesus, I serve Jesus, and I honor Jesus, all seem to have more power than a simple “I like Jesus”. While these are all true, and I am typically known for making several consecutive statements that need an explanation point at the end, and potentially overstating my point, I am also cool with a simple “I like Jesus”. Now, before you get all super-spiritual on me, just track with me here for a few minutes.

Let’s look at the difference between Like & Love. Remember when you were a kid and you had crush on someone. There seemed to be this natural progression that went from “like” to “love”. I even remember having a girl who had a crush on me send her friend across the playground to ask me if I “loved” her friend or if I simply ‘liked” her. Although it seems silly now, at the time my answer carried a lot of weight. I mean this girl whose name I can’t even remember today, was asking me to “define the relationship”. Like and Love were obviously two very different things to this 5th grade girl. “Like” was one thing, but she wanted me to take it to another level with the power word “Love”! Following this line of thinking it would surely be more appropriate to say that “I love Jesus”, than to say that I simply “like” Him. Again, for the record, I do “love Jesus”, but I like Jesus just as much. Now that we are grown, and childhood crushes are distant memories, let’s revisit this ‘Love” & “Like” thing.

Here is my thought process now. The Bible says that I am to love my enemies, but it doesn’t say that I need to “Like” them. Love is a moral imperative. It has biblical implications, and is part of the Greatest Commandment. We are to love the Lord our God with everything we have, and we are to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Now, before I veer off into a message on love, let me get back to my point here. While I am commanded to even love my enemies, there is no command given regarding the word “Like”. While I must love my enemy, I certainly don’t have to “like” them. Do you see my point? While I certainly love Jesus, I also really “Like” Jesus. “Like’ is a personal preference, and for that reason I think that makes “I like Jesus” powerful on a whole other level.

A few years ago Mary and I started making this distinction in our affection for each other. We’ve been married since 1988 and we certainly love each other very much. Truth be told, we are passionate about each other! Not a day goes by that we don’t call each other multiple times throughout the day or text little coded messages to each other. It was in the midst of this daily flirtation that we began to use this word “Like”. The funny thing was that we used it to sort of take the word “Love” to another level. It went kind of like this… “I not only “Love” you, but I really “Like” you to!” There was fire in those statements, and the power of "personal preference". Okay, that is enough about my romantic life… :-) "Personal Preference" is what I am really talking about. I personally prefer Jesus! When I look at the way Jesus valued people it amazes me! From the little children, to the blind man, from the woman at the well, to the woman caught in adultery, from Nicodemus to Zacchaeus, Jesus revealed the love of the Father to people. When He confronted sin, He did it with such passion, strength, and purity that you can't help but see His love for people in that as well! I really like Jesus! Jesus is the expression of God's heart for us. He is the demonstration of all consuming love. I love reading the Gospels and just trying learn from Him, to try to pick up His attributes, and maybe even begin to see with His eyes. As has been stated by authors, preachers, and the bands...Jesus showed us "a new to be human", and I want to become that kind of human. Yes, I love Jesus, but I also really like Jesus.