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» Christian Message Boards   » Bible Studies   » Favorite Devotions   » Knowing Jesus

   
Author Topic: Knowing Jesus
Found in Him
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Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me~ Jesus

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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24

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Carol Swenson
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Do we really know God?

We think we know what God likes and dislikes, what pleases and displeases Him. We think we have a lot of facts about God. But do we really know Him on a personal level?

Ask yourself this: Does God care how much we know about Him? Does God really care about all the things you do in His name? Or would He simply prefer that you get to know Him for who He is? That you learn to trust Him? That you learn about His power and how it can work in and through you?

I have two precious sons, aged 7 and 9. I love them to pieces. I like to see their accomplishments and am proud of them when they accomplish something worthwhile. However, I am not merely satisfied to just watch their accomplishments. These accomplishments are nothing to me, unless I have a rapport with my own children. My hunger is for my children to have time to spend with me, their daddy. How I relish these moments where I can get to know my kids on a personal level, and where they can get to know me, their daddy. I don’t want my children to know about me, I want them to know me personally!

God is just the same. Read God’s plea in 2 Chron 7:14-15 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” NIV

God has always searched to have a personal relationship with His children. However, His children were too occupied to have time for God, which led them to grave sins.

God is not impressed with your knowledge of Him! He isn’t impressed with what YOU do for HIM. He isn’t even impressed by the way you try to keep His laws. Isn’t it written in Rom 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” None of us are righteous. And those who boast to keep God’s laws, God tells them: Matt 23:27-28 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” We cannot impress God with our actions!

No, instead of looking at what His children know ABOUT Him, and instead of being impressed with what WE do for HIM, God is crying out, “Do you really know Me? Do you really want Me?”

Do you know Jesus’ secret of His successful ministry? Was He successful because He knew ABOUT God? No. Was He a blessing because He was doing something for the Lord? No. Let’s look at Jesus’ own words to find out His secret about His successful ministry. John 5:19-20: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

Jesus can do nothing by Himself! Wow! If He can’t do anything by Himself, even less can I, a sinful creature! Jesus was successful because He had a personal relationship with His heavenly Father. Instead of striking out on His own, He watched where God was at work and joined Him there. They were partners. This is relationship!

How often do we complain to God about our problems and beg Him to bless our ministries? “After all, Lord, I am doing this in your name! How come you are not blessing it?” However, often we set out to do things for God when what we set out to do may not actually be sanctioned by God. We don’t join God where He was at work, we start to work and then ask God to join us! We do it backwards. No wonder we are experiencing defeat!

Remember: God does not care about what you can do for Him. He cares about your answer to this question: “Do you really know Me? Do you really want Me?”

All throughout God’s Word, God impresses us to wait on Him. For example, Isa 8:17: “I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.” NIV But do we know how to do this?

Waiting does not mean to act like a bulldozer and go ahead doing what we think God wants us to do. It does not mean to base our decisions on what we know about God. Waiting on God is basically doing what Jesus said in John 5:19-20 and watch what our Father is doing and join Him in a personal relationship with Him. This is pure trust in God.

My friend what is your answer to His question: “Do you really know Me? Do you really want Me?”

Are you willing to wait for the Lord? Are you thirsting for His presence to fill your life? Are you tired of just knowing about Him? Are you tired of working on your own, all the while asking God to bless your work? Are you ready to let Him guide you? If you are, Jesus made the following promise to you:

Matt 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” NIV

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Found in Him
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Member # 7596

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"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

Years ago my wife gave me a little card to carry in my billfold. On it she had written her dress size, shoe size, glove size and more. That was nice to have so I could know all about her when I went to do some shopping, but it didn't provide much companionship or encouragement when I was away from her. In the same way, it's one thing to have the facts about Jesus; it's another thing to have a relationship with Jesus.

Do you know Jesus? Do you really know Him, or are you just gathering facts about Him?

Adrian Rogers

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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24

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