Why I love Jesus - reason number 1

Recently I was "tagged" by a friend of a friend to post 5 reasons why I love Jesus. (Thanks, Shanti...I didn't know what the blogging version of tag was...I think it's great!)
So...let me begin. 5 reasons...that could be hard, because there are so many that I could post forever and not be finished. I'll try to contain myself and take it slowly.
Reason #1: I love Jesus because He's true. He doesn't change with the wind, He's not capricious, He tells us Who He is, why He came to die for us and that He's risen from the dead to ever live and intercede for us. Excuse me, better said here: He died and rose again for me. Don't misunderstand me...I know that He died not just for my sin but for yours (the collective "you") as well. But I love Him because I know that He died for my sin, as horrible as it is. (and no, none of you will ever be privy to all of that) Friends, there's not much we can count on in the world today. What was wrong 50, 20...heck, even 10 years ago, is now considered right. Truth is something that has been abused, maligned and, frankly, discarded in today's day and age. Unfortunately, that is even the case in many churches now. Truth is something that has become subjective to some and irrelevant to most. To me, it's essential. In order to live with hope each day and to face the circumstances of life, I must have a foundation on which to stand. And my foundation needs to be unshakeable, because I am certainly not. In and of myself I am unbelievably shaky...I often can't even get a decent handle on my own thoughts and motivations. Ah, but Jesus is true. In fact in John 14:6 He says quite clearly, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Many find this statement to be offensive, narrow minded and arrogant. How dare Jesus say that there's only one way to heaven? Personally, the fact that Jesus proved that He is indeed God gives Him the right to be as narrow minded as He wants to be. You create a universe from nothing and then come talk to me about narrow mindedness.
How do I know He's God? The fact that He's not dead springs to mind first and foremost. I am unaware of anyone else who's made the claim with such astonishing evidence to back it up. How do I know that He's not dead? Aside from the proof I see in my own life and the life of so many others daily, and aside from the statements He made which were prophetic and have all (yes, I said all) come true, I point to an empty tomb that turned the world upside down. The Roman empire couldn't produce a body, the religious leaders of His time couldn't produce a body. Actually, no one could produce a body. Find me a religion that makes the same claim with the same evidence, please. I don't believe it can be done. Many claims have been made to divinity of some sort and those who made the claims are dead, in the ground, "look, here's the grave...complete with contents", dead. The resurrection of Christ is a well documented event, beyond even the bounds of scripture. The disciples all died for their faith, save John, and I have yet to hear of anyone giving up their lives willingly for something they knew to be a lie. People will die for believing something that may turn out to be a lie but not for what they know to be untrue. If, as is claimed by some, the disciples simply overwhelmed a Roman guard (no, not just one guy...but the number of soldiers that formed a "guard"), rolled away a huge stone, took the body of Christ and buried it in somebody's backyard...then why, in heaven's name would they give up everything, including their lives to die for the dead guy under the azaleas? Senseless and preposterous! Most of the people who try to start up their own religions are in it for something. Money, power, fame, control...what did the disciples get? Poverty, persecution and death. Nope, you don't do that for something you outright know to be a lie. So...I love Jesus because He is true and I know that I can trust Him, now and for eternity. He's God, I can believe what He tells me...every word of it, because it's true. And, let's me frank here, truth is important, because if you live your life according to a lie who knows where you'll end up. Think this through..."subjective truth" is a pleasant sounding idiocy designed to give us a an unrealistic sense of importance. To claim that something is true simply because I choose it to be is the ultimate in arrogance. It either is, or it isn't. Tell yourself that if you get on the highway in Chicago and head west that you'll end up in New York. Now, try that for me. I hope you like Iowa...Iowa can be fun but it ain't no New York City. If you don't believe me then tell yourself that there's no gravity, better yet, find me somebody who actually believes that there's no such thing as gravity. Then watch what happens when they step off a cliff. Right...you get the point.
I love Jesus because He's real, He's God...He's true. That's reason number 1. I'll get back to you with more later.