Try Japanese, Try Jesus

Driving home today I saw a typical, cheesy,Christian bumper sticker on the back of a soccer mom’s gas sucking SUV that said ‘Try Jesus’, and I almost threw up in my mouth as I began to think about all the cheesy messages that Christians are sending the world. Our God is a creative God who SPOKE the entire universe into existence (read Genesis 1 and count how many times “and God said” appears) and breathed life into man, and the best we can give is a bumper sticker? Creative NOT Cheese

Is Jesus just another commodity to try? The implications of the sticker is that if I ‘try’ Jesus then I am going to like him like the first time I tried Japanese? What about the people who ‘try’ Jesus and don’t like him like some try Japanese and don’t like it?

The picture that I see in the gospels is that ‘trying’ Jesus doesn’t come without a high price to pay. Luke 14 says unless you hate your father or mother, your children – even your own life – you cannot be his disciple. Later in the chapter unless you take up your cross and give up everything you cannot be his disciple. Being a disciple of Jesus is demanding.

Jesus paid a high price for redemption. He is not a mere commodity to try and to toss out if we don’t like him or keep if we do. He demands and desires a life of Loving him with ALL of our heart and mind.

Try Japanese