Why I Love Jesus

We asked children (ages 7-9), preteens (ages 10-12), and teenagers (ages 13-16) from around the world to write for the Review in August. The following article is one they produced. —Editors 

Because He first loved me. A simple and very common answer, right?

I wonder if you would believe me if I said there is more to this? Whenever I hear someone say, “I love Jesus because He first loved me,” I feel like disagreeing with them, not because it’s false, but because God’s love is not something we can pay back or return. We will never be able to make up for or cover the price our Lord Jesus Christ paid on the cross. Nothing we do, absolutely nothing, can match the pain He endured, the intense emotional and spiritual agony He felt, and the feeling of abandonment. Today I will share with you five key reasons I love Jesus.

The Cross

Jesus decided to leave His comfort zone above to come and suffer pain and agony, and to bear the weight of the sins of the world—to be beaten, despised, rejected, mocked, insulted, spat on, and then killed for me, just so that I may have the hope of eternal life in heaven! That is a decision I still find hard to fathom. He chose to suffer so that I may have the gift of salvation.

Wow, what amazing love God has for His people. He had to watch from above as His Son was humiliated, even hearing Him cry out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (Matt. 27:46). I cannot imagine the pain the Father went through until Jesus finally cried, “It is finished!” Even on the cross Jesus could have called angels to set Him free, but He made the hard decision to remain until the end.

The Ten Commandments

I love Jesus because He gave us the Ten Commandments, a set of instructions to keep us safe, happy, teach us right from wrong, and help build our characters. The Ten Commandments teach us to be kind and loving to one another, to be honest, and to have self-control. They point us to grace; they show us our wrongs, our mistakes, and remind us about the Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered on the cross so we could be redeemed. I like to think of the Ten Commandments as guardrails on a busy road. They don’t stop the car from moving; they just stop it from falling off a cliff. Jesus summarized them perfectly: love for God and love for humankind.

The Promise of the Resurrection

This is one of the greatest reasons I love Him. Two years ago I had a very terrible experience. It was the day I found out my uncle had collapsed. I was depressed. I could not sleep for two days. I could not concentrate in school. I was angry with God. I was angry that He had taken one of the most precious people in my heart away. I questioned God every day until the burial. I shouted at Him. I questioned His power and judgment, and at that time I believed I had every right to, because the year before, I had lost my paternal grandma, and now God had taken away my uncle so suddenly!

On top of that, we had prayed for hours while he was in hospital. At the top of the hour we would have a WhatsApp prayer session with family and friends. They dropped what they were doing and joined the prayer session to ask God to wake him up. But God said no.

I like to think of the Ten Commandments as guardrails on a busy road. They don’t stop the car from moving; they just stop it from falling off a cliff.

I was drained from crying. I was dysfunctional. I was angry that He had refused to answer our prayers. But despite all that, God was still so patient with me, surrounding me and my family with people who understood, people who came every day to comfort us. People brought food cooked with love for us so we did not need to cook. God made sure that we did not feel alone. He made sure that if I were to cry, I would be comforted.

The day of the burial came, and I will never forget that day. It was one of the most devastating days of my life. Yet I felt a peace after talking to God about how I felt—a peace that I cannot explain, a peace that reminded me of the promise of 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, a promise that one day I would see my uncle again. I have held on to that promise ever since, and whenever I think of him, I remember that God has His reasons for doing things and that I must trust His judgment. God always keeps His promises. That I can testify to.

He Is a Dependable Friend

Friends are gifts from God—that’s what I’ve learned—but you need to choose good friends who uplift you and who support you, and I have learned that that is also not always easy. Some friends are sent to you by God so you can give them guidance and love and pray for them, and some are sent to uplift you and help you in your problems. I have learned that there is only one friend who sticks closer than a brother, and His name is Jesus. He is always ready to listen to you tell Him about your day, school drama, what’s on your mind, and your wishes.

At first, prayer might seem weird (it did for me). But as I started to talk more, I started to open up more, and soon it felt as though I was talking to my school friend, my bestie—but even better, a bestie I can always count on and will never let me down.

I love the second verse of the hymn “My Lord and I,” which talks about Jesus being someone I can lean on, someone I can seek help and guidance from, someone who is willing to stay by my side all the way. What an amazing friend, right? And I have news for you—He wants to be your friend too. Just ask Him, and He will not let you down. That is a fact.

His Transforming Power

The fifth and last key reason I would like to share is: I love Jesus because of His incredible power to change us from the inside out. He does not want to just forgive our mistakes and sins; He wants to give us a new name, a new identity. There are times when I feel weak, when I struggle with choosing the right decisions and putting others before myself, but Jesus does not forsake me. He is the only one who can take a broken heart and make it whole or take a deeply troubled person and fill them with His peace. Only because of Him I am not defined by my mistakes or who I used to be any longer. He gives me the strength to overcome things I thought I never could, and helps me grow to be a better person every day.

Revelation 2:17 promises that to the one who overcomes, He will give a white stone with a new name written on it—a new identity. Knowing that He is still working on me fills me with so much hope. He is the ultimate life-changer, and I love Him because He has never and will never ever give up on me.