The worst thing we can do as believers is to underestimate the finished works of Christ. This underestimation begins the day we start to appreciate less, the things Jesus Christ has done for us. In addition to the posts of the past two weeks, we’d be discussing more on reasons why we should appreciate Jesus more.

Not only did Jesus Christ save us, He also gave us the opportunity to be called by His name. The most important thing about a person is his identity. In making new friends, the first thing we usually ask is “what is your name?” In hospitals, treatment is usually not carried out without certifying the identity of the person and peradventure the patient is unable to identify himself, he is given a new identity; “John Doe”. Even spiritually, your identity matters. Matter of fact, it is where your identity matters the most. When the 7 sons of Sceva were trying to cast out a demon by calling on “the Jesus by whom Paul preaches”, the demon retorted and said it knows Paul and it knows Jesus “but who are you?” Because they had no identity in Christ, because they, unlike Paul were not called by Jesus’ name, they were utterly embarrassed. But, for us who are in Christ, He gave us the privilege to identify with Him; He let us to. So, we have an identity in Christ because we are called by His name. Demons and evil spirits can’t harass us as they did to the sons of Sceva because we are identified by the name of Jesus Christ. [Isaiah 43:1; Acts 19:11-17; Galatians 4:7; John 1:12]  

Asides giving us an identity by His name, Jesus gave us the opportunity to use that name. You see, the name of Jesus is not a regular name, neither is it limited to a mere identity. The name of Jesus is the name that is above every other name. The Scripture says at the mention of the name of Jesus, every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. All power in heaven, beneath the heavens, on earth and beneath the earth have been handed over to Christ Jesus and the fullness of that power lies also in His name. Jesus Christ in His love for us allowed us access to His name and the power thereof. He gave us all this in the package of salvation. Now, we cast out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead, reverse things in the spirit realm, declare what we want and see it come to pass, all because of that name of Jesus which He let us have access to. I’m still certain that no love can supersede this love. [Philippians 2:9-11; John 14:13-14; Luke 10:17; Romans 10:13; Acts 4:30; Matthew 28:18; Acts 3:6-8]

In Christ, we receive the opportunity to be His brothers and sisters. Part of the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was to reconcile us to God. This reconciliation opened up an avenue for us to be called sons and daughters of God. If we are then sons and daughters of God and Jesus Christ is also the Son of God, surely does this not make us siblings with Christ? Jesus loved us too much to just die for our sins and end it there. He also joined us to His family wherein we are declared joint heirs with Him. As if that wasn’t enough, to close the gap, He came to abide in us as The Holy Spirit (so long as we also abide in Him) and sat us in heavenly places with Himself. He couldn’t bear to see us, His beloved ones, so all alone. This is why we can boast of the Holy Spirit in us. We can sing songs declaring ourselves as Christ’s siblings and God’s children. This is why we can proclaim the kind of life Christ lived as the kind of life we would also live because of our joint heirship. This is why we remain above principalities and powers for we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. He wasn’t compelled to do these things for us, but knowing fully well that only He could give us this full salvation, He did it…out of His love for us. [Romans 8:11&14&17; Galatians 3:26; Galatians 4:6-7; John 16:13; Ephesians 2:6]

The genesis of all the great things we enjoy in God today, is His love for us which was expressed by giving His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ), for our redemption. It was this love that brought us salvation when He laid down His life for us. When God sent His only begotten Son (Jesus), Jesus could have decided not to go. When the pain and mockery and disregard got too much, He could have said He wasn’t going to die for us anymore. However, He didn’t. Because of His love for us, He endured it all. He didn’t want to see us perish just as much as God didn’t want us to perish either (John 3:16). He had and still has an undying love for us; a love so unshakable that nothing can separate us from. You need to start being appreciative of Jesus for His never-failing love.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13

“Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers,nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8: 35; 38-39 AMP