Judah Smith - Jesus Is For You: Stories of Gods Relentless Love

Jesus Is for You

2015 by Judah Smith

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-2310-2

ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-2323-2 (eBook)

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In honor of my mom, Virginia Smith...
your strength inspires me daily.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

1 John 4:17 NKJV

CONTENTS

My wife and I are the parents of three young children. We love them deeply, but we have discovered that they are the loudest children on the entire planet. I have no idea who they get that from.

As a father, one of my least favorite responsibilities is to be a referee. Not for sportsIm fine with that. Im talking about refereeing the controversies and contentions and conflicts that arise among these three very verbal offspring.

Things like who gets to eat the last piece of bacon.

Who gets to control the remote control.

Who gets to sit in the comfortable chair.

Theres an easy answer to all of the above, of course: Dad does. That seems fair, right? Call it one of the perks of parenthood. Its a double benefit, because not only do I get that last strip of crispy fried calories; I also avoid the hours of evidence they are prepared to present and the inevitable cross-examining of the witnesses.

But deep inside, I know that parental selfishness wont work out well. Im supposed to be an example of generosity. So instead, I find myself trying to be firm and loving and impartial and non-emotional and infinitely wise, which also doesnt work out that well because I am human and I will always give in to my daughter and her big blue eyes. Sorry, boys.

What my kids want to know in any argument is this: Is Dad on my side? Is Dad for me... or against me? They know that if Dad is on their side, the argument is over. Dads approval means the debate is resolved and they have won.

As a pastor and speaker, I end up talking to a lot of people about spirituality. Its fascinating. Hearing their journeys and perspectives never gets old.

In these conversations, one thing I often hear is an underlying, almost subconscious assumption that God is against us. People dont usually say it that way, of course. But thats the attitude that comes across. God is not on my side. God is not backing me up. God is not for me.

Ive been there myself more times than I can count. Maybe you have too. When we fail, when we stumble over the same temptations again and again, when we come face-to-face with our humanity, its far too easy to think that God is as disappointed with us as we are with ourselves, to imagine God frustrated and frowning because our humanity is showing.

But thats not the God that Jesus reveals to us. Jesus came to earth and lived among us to demonstrate a God who cares. A God who loves us with such depth and devotion that He sent His own Son to save us. A God who knows exactly who we are and accepts us just the same. Jesus came to show us that God isnt against usHe is unconditionally and irrevocably for us.

This book is a collection of Bible verses, inspirational thoughts, and real-life stories all centered around the simple truth that Jesus is for you. I pray that as you peruse these pages, you will be reminded of His love, His acceptance, and His never-ending mercy and grace.

Jesus is for you. Can there be any greater source of strength and courage than that?

Judah Smith

Restore to me the joy of your salvation.

Psalm 51:12

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:810 NKJV

My mother was saved back when she was a teenager, and she raised us in church. Going to church wasnt optional. We went! We went to church all day on Sundayevery Sunday. We went Friday nights, Wednesday nights... lots of nights. So I didnt really get a choice as a kid whether to serve Jesus. I was born into Jesus, you might say.

When I was young, I loved God and I loved the concept of church. I would play during the service until the preacher started; then I would tell my friends, Quiet, I need to hear this. Id tell the usher to get my friends in trouble if they werent quiet.

But our church was full of rules, and you had to meet certain standards or requirements. It turns out that lots of those rules werent in the Bible. They were just human ideas used to control people. Even at a young age, I could see that the rules were a lot of show. It was easy to look and act a certain way in front of people but be an entirely different person behind the scenes.