Jesus: Prayerful Reflections on the Son of God

By Dr. William G. Covington Jr. PhD

Jesus Christ presents Himself in various roles in the New Testament. Each chapter of this book looks at one aspect of His revelation to humanity and helps the reader prayerfully reflect on the meaning of that role in an individual's life. The first chapter relates to His role as a friend. Someone who is truly concerned for the welfare of another is a friend to be desired. There is a reason He referred to Himself as a friend in relating to His closest followers. The reflection questions at the end of the chapter provide the tools for examining this role in the life of the individual.
Other roles such as Wonderful Counselor, Good Shepherd, and Great High Priest are treated similarly.
The concluding chapter has to do with the ultimate question each person must face, death. Jesus Christ is the way to eternal life--in fact, the only way. This chapter looks at the parallel between the materialists of the generation when Jesus was in physical form on the earth and how that same mindset persists today, robbing people of receiving the gift of eternal life He has purchased and offers freely.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781663251053

Dr. William G. Covington Jr. PhD

Dr. William G. Covington, Jr. has taught at the college/university level in Missouri, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. He has held seminars in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Dr. Covington has a PhD from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, a M.S. in Human Environmental Science from the University of Alabama, a MED from the University of Missouri, a BA and MA from what is now the University of Louisiana at Monroe and has done additional graduate work at the University of Kansas. For speaking engagements contact Dr. Covington at [e-mail]

Book preview

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1     Jesus as Friend

Chapter 2     Jesus as Counselor

Chapter 3     Jesus the Great High Priest

Chapter 4     God is Love

Chapter 5     Jesus as the Way

Chapter 6     Jesus as the Good Shepherd

Chapter 7     King Jesus

Chapter 8     The Truth

Chapter 9     The Author and Finisher of Our Faith

Chapter 10   Jesus the Only Way to Eternal Life

FOREWORD

Living a life of faith in a world that increasingly rejects Biblical principles and standards can seem overwhelming to new and even seasoned believers. We may, at times, feel desperate, stranded and alone in our attempts to live out what we believe, concurrently surrounded by voices that loudly reject virtue and elevate sin. Yet, we are not alone. God in His mercy has provided us with everything we need to live victoriously and to impact others with His love.

Dr. William G. Covington, Jr. reminds us of this great truth and many others in his book, Jesus: Prayerful Meditations on the Son of God. The book begins with an overview on friendship and its importance in everyone’s life, assessing compatibilities and contrasts while pointing to Jesus as the one true friend who will never leave or forsake us. He reminds us that our love should be directed vertically to the author of all good things and horizontally to the people we interact with in our daily lives, using Jesus as the perfect example of pure love.

The first chapter serves as an appropriate way to lead into a deeper consideration in the chapters that follow of the many facets of the triune God. Dr. Covington addresses the Creator as the source of all wisdom, the great Counselor who provides guidance, direction and understanding for those willing to accept it. He points to Jesus as our Great High Priest with whom we have direct access thanks to His sacrifice and the new covenant He provided.

Dr. Covington writes about our individual journeys as we continue toward our eternal home, warning against failing to see through deceptions, prompting us to remain true when our faith is tested, to continue in interactive prayer and to wait on the Lord, maintaining a faith-filled stance as situations resolve over time. Dr. Covington stresses that the Good Shepherd has chosen us, a fact with which we should respond in gratefulness and humility, and reminds that the world that can seem so strange and foreign to us today, is not our permanent home. Our kingdom is not of this world. Maintaining that focus helps when everything around us seems to spiral out of control.

Submitting to the rule of Jesus as Lord of our lives is a personal, daily decision, supported by an appreciation of God’s great love for us and an authentic trust in Him, knowing that He never changes and His plan for us is good. Dr. Covington supports the significant messages in each chapter with penetrating reflection questions that challenge us to examine the material attentively and consider its application in our individual lives.

This is a timely book suitable for anyone wanting to know more about the many roles of Jesus in our lives, about the resources God provides and the hope He brings that manifests itself even in challenging times. As Dr. Covington affirms with his thoughtful meditations, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

Ronald K. Raymond, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Communication and Journalism

Pennsylvania Western University – Edinboro

Edinboro, PA 16444

PREFACE

Read any biography. Life isn’t easy and never has been. Each generation has its own set of challenges. People who desire to leave a worthwhile legacy and fulfill their God-given destiny want mental and spiritual tools that work—the lead to results. This book discusses one of those tools, perseverance. Essentially the principle is the refusal to give up in spite of circumstances.

How this principle has been applied in various contexts provides inspiration for how this force for achievement can be applied in the context a person faces in his or her current season of life. Academic studies are cited that provide data on how this principle has been verified to reach desired outcomes. Data from brain research is included, discussing how chemicals within a person are affected by mental processes for good or ill. A person can control his or her thoughts and does not have to be a victim of whatever thoughts are within range of perception.

Examples from history and the Bible are included. Tables provide an easy to view visual of some of the key concepts addressed. This principle is taken to an eternal perspective as the supernatural and eternal contexts are included. The application of perseverance—refusing to give up—is part of the life of stewardship to God if it is applied to His purposes.

William G. Covington, Jr. PhD

West Monroe, LA

September 4, 2020

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Everyone needs a support system. It’s the way God made us. We give and receive encouragement on an ongoing basis if we’re acting according to the way we’re designed. At various stages in my life, different people have been pivotal in being used by the Lord to lift me up when I needed it. The thing about mentioning people who have been helpful in an acknowledgements section of a book is that inevitably memory will be such that I leave someone out, probably more than one.

With that caveat being stipulated, I would like to thank some people who have encouraged me during this segment of my life’s spiritual journey. The present is built on the past, so I’m very grateful for those who have already passed to the other side—my father, mother, and brother Gary. Their influence on my life will continue for the rest of my life and I thank God for that. They are enjoying the rewards for their work in the Lord while done on this side. Speaking of passing, as mentioned in the preface, Juanita Burk, edited this manuscript only weeks before passing to her reward to the next life. I saw her son in law at a restaurant as this book was going to press and he mentioned that the mystery had another component. When the coroner’s office was filling out the cause of death, the representative didn’t know what to put as the cause of death. She didn’t have a physician because she hadn’t been to a doctor’s office in decades. He told me that after the guy called his supervisor, they came up with something to put on the required paperwork.

Pastor Joel and Susan Brackett provided uplifting words in this season. My colleague, Dr. Anthony Esposito has the gift of encouragement and it is greatly appreciated. Often I do my writing, reading and researching over coffee at truck stops in Monroe and West Monroe. People there such as Christy, Jerry, Randy Maverick, Sam, Rhonda, Jasmine, Q, Tyler, Tish and Nick, who kept the coffee and conversation flowing. L. J. at IHOP is also an encourager, Ashley at Johnny’s Pizza, Dallas at Logan’s Steak House. Wesley, Sharon and W. L. Glidewell continue to help me in life’s journey also, as do my friends Mike Stenett in Louisiana and Gene Gallo and Frank Pruitt in Kansas City.

Most importantly of all I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for the privilege of writing this book about Him.

CHAPTER 1

Jesus as Friend

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

John 15:14

It is hard to imagine that the eternally existing Son of God would give created beings the privilege of relating to Him as a friend, but that is exactly what Jesus Christ does and it’s recorded in Scripture. The invitation for a relationship is opened to all who will respond.

God is holy. An individual serious about starting and maintaining a friendship with the Lord must do it on His terms. He calls us to be set apart, to come out from among the world and be His holy people. We are distinct in that we are a holy nation, born of the Spirit of God.

One thing a true friend does is listen and Megan Bailey highlights this aspect of having a friendship with Jesus. He listens with empathy and compassion. He identifies with our hardships and sufferings. Empathetic listening involves receiving the message beyond the words that are spoken. It’s a deeper level of connection. Jesus is the Friend Who sticks closer than a brother. He touches us at our deepest level, that of the spirit. Deep calls to deep.

Does God make you smile? Time with God is holy, serious and referential. He created us with a broad range of emotions; however, so does time with Jesus sometimes include humor along with the fear of God? Context is essential in answering this question because the fear of the Lord is at the heart of honoring Him and thus gaining access to His holy throne. But with that understanding, a writer named Ngozi thinks friendship with the Lord Jesus also includes times of lightheartedness. He opines, O yes! He can amuse or make you laugh. Even in between tears, Jesus can make you smile. What love! Having a friend in Jesus is to be excited all the time. There is always a reason to be happy as a friend of Jesus. Everybody may desert you but with Jesus as your friend you won’t be lonely.

This reflection lines up with Scripture as it describes the joy of the Lord being our strength and the Lord turning ashes into beauty. There is a transformation that occurs in the presence of the Lord. We may enter a time of prayer discouraged, even unsure of how to express our innermost emotions, but after being with the Lord our emotions and perspective have been radically altered by the Holy Ghost. Our strength is renewed like the eagles’. We mount up with wings as we await the wind of the Spirit to carry us to the destination of His choice in His time.

Compatibility in Friendship

For any two people to be in a meaningful relationship there must be mutual interests. The ways of the world are contrary to the ways of God. We know this because the Bible explicitly tells us. What specifically are some of these ways and how do they compare with how God wants individuals He calls friends to be different from this way of thinking?

This discussion isn’t exhaustive, but it covers enough to show how wide the differences are. A good starting place is patience. That isn’t an attribute that comes naturally. It requires a disciplined mind. It’s related to kindness, often grated to those who don’t necessarily deserve it. It’s a form of going the extra mile which is not just an expression, but was used by the Lord Jesus in teaching about His ways and pointing out that if someone compelled you to go one mile with them, make it two. This was when Israel was in subjection to Roman authorities and a civilian could be compelled to acquiesce to the demands of a Roman soldier.

Forgiveness is another discipline that goes against natural tendencies. This act of the will is by definition granted to people who don’t deserve it. The very fact that a wrong has been committed sets the stage for that which is not deserved to be given.

Gentleness is another way friendship with Jesus matches His approach to dealing with people. Confrontation has increasingly become the norm in 21st century culture. Spending time in the Lord’s presence reminds a seeker that His ways are vastly different