Most people know "Jesus Is Just Alright" as a song by The Doobie Brothers, although it was originally released by The Art Reynolds Singers in 1966, but it is the version by Stryper on their 2013 album No More Hell To Pay that really does it for me. As I said in my review of that album, "Stryper takes the Doobie Brothers classic 'Jesus Is Just Alright,' shoots it full of nitrous, and makes it hot. When it slows down at the 2 minute mark, we are treated to the best of muscle-car '70s meets 21st century rock." Seriously, I can just hear a shiny black, Mustang Boss 429 growling down the street, yet it is the lyrics of the bridge that say something truly profound.
Jesus, he's my friend; Jesus, he's my friend
He took me by the hand; Led me far from this land
Jesus, he's my friend
In other religions, deities are to be feared, worshipped, sometimes even mocked, but never thought of as friends. Jesus says in John 15:15, "I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me."
One of the great hymns of our faith sings, "What a friend we have in Jesus! All our sins and griefs to bear!" Christianity is not a philosophy. It is not a feel-good program. It is the term we give to all that goes into a relationship with a living person, a person who also happens to be God. I think of all the things I do with my earthly friends...laugh, cry, confide, spend time, play, share, discover...the list goes on and on. Jesus is your friend and will do all that and so much more, if you will let Him.
If you have questions or want to talk further about the offer of Jesus or what it means to accept His grace and follow Him, please email us at info@wildmanandsteve.com. We would love to talk with you.