Written By: Jaymi Firestone
Jesus said a lot of things throughout the Bible, but there are also a lot of things he didn’t. We sometimes get the words He actually spoke confused with what we would rather Jesus have said…
Here are eight things Jesus never said.
1. “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”
Jesus never gave prerequisites for encountering His love. Regardless of where you shop for clothing, the love of Christ is available for anyone who is willing to accept it. People are the ones who choose to judge, but Jesus never said you had to fit a mold to love Him. He loves you as you are. That’s all you need to continue on.
2. “Follow me, and I will bring you fame and fortune.”
Jesus never promises fame or fortune, yet these are also not things He opposes if used for His glory. If your reasoning for seeking a relationship with God is materially focused, you may want to evaluate what god you’re really yearning for.
3. “Everything will go according to your plans.”
Many of us pray to Jesus thinking that everything we ask of Him is going to be answered in our timing. The reality is that not all prayers will be answered in the way we hope they will, but Jesus does have the power to fulfill any prayer that is asked of Him. He’s that BIG!
Just because a prayer isn’t answered in your timing does not mean your prayer has been ignored. God hears all, knows all and knows what’s best for each of us as individuals. Take a step back and trust in God, His timing and His will.
4. “I will bless you if you pray hard enough.”
The blessing of prayer is in prayer itself. Communication and dialogue between our Heavenly Father and us is more fulfilling than anything else we can ask for. Jesus isn’t a magic genie, and if your prayers seem more like wishes than heart-felt conversations, you may want to re-think how your foundation of faith is being built.
5. “Life is going to be without rough patches.”
So many people think that just because they believe in Jesus means everything is going to be flawless and perfect. This really isn’t the case at all. You may have a relationship with Jesus, but this doesn’t mean life is going to stop moving forward, tough circumstances are going to cease to exist, and rough times will never be a possibility.
Even though Jesus never said life would be easy, He did say He would be there for you in your times of need. The message of The Gospel isn’t that life will be perfect, but that in its imperfection we have a perfect and flawless Savior. That is all we need.
6. “I will answer prayers on your time.”
Although God is faithful in His answering of prayer, we cannot expect Him to answer every prayer to our exact measurements. Faith is trusting God even when things don’t make sense, and that includes a prayer that we feel may be unanswered or at the wrong time. Faith is trusting in God’s timing, not our own…
7. “You’re too far gone to be saved.”
Nobody is too far traveled from having a relationship with God. No matter where life has brought you, you always have the opportunity to look next to you and see the open arms of Jesus. The forgiveness and love that He offers is not something we can run from, nor become too dirty to accept. Nobody is too flawed for forgiveness and eternal salvation. If Saul, who persecuted Christians, could become one of God’s dearest followers and evangelists, anyone can.
8. “You deserve to have nice things.”
Jesus never said you deserve a huge house, nice car, big paycheck and a sweet job. In fact, everything in the Gospel points to simplicity rather than luxury.
This isn’t to say that you’re not allowed to have nice things, but rather that Jesus didn’t promise you are going to be given them. God’s plan for each of our lives is different, and we need to understand that not everyone is going to make the same amount of money, drive the same types of cars or even live in the same type of housing.
What Jesus DID say…
What we need to understand is that Jesus did say we need to love our neighbors, help those who are in need, and that the widowed and homeless deserve to be loved as Christ loved the church.
You don’t deserve to have nice things, but you do get to experience the love of Christ, and that is worth more than anything this world can offer.
