They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 1 John 2:19 (NKJV)
If someone asked you, "Do you know the Lord?" what would you say? Well I would hope you would say, "Absolutely, I know Him very well." As simple as this may sound it is something to ponder for sure. After all, there are many people who claim to know of Jesus, but they don't actually know Him personally.
All this to say, there is a significant difference in having an intellectual knowledge of Jesus versus having a relationship with Him. We can see how significant the difference is by looking at what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 7:21-23.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
Q: What does it mean to know Jesus?
To know Jesus is to have a relationship with Him. It is to spend time with Him, speaking (praying) to Him and listening to Him as well, as we read His Word. How can we say we know someone if we don't spend time with them?
To know Jesus also implies our believing in Him - believing He is God. It implies we are committed to following Him and are willing to be obedient to His Word. To know Jesus means we will have a conscious need to be forgiven and a conviction within our heart that through Him alone we can be saved (John 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5).
If we know the Lord then we will desire to know His will for our life (Rom. 12:1-2). We will have a heart to lay our life down so we might be used as a vessel of honor in the hands of God. We will be mindful of our duty to be salt and light in a world full of darkness. If we truly know the Lord we will not hide ourselves from the unbelieving world, but instead we will allow the light and love of God to shine brightly through us.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 (NKJV)
I want to encourage you to meditate upon these things today. Let's choose to talk to God today. Let's choose to take time to listen to Him as well. As we read our Bibles let's ask Him to teach us His will for our lives. Let's set our hearts on being transformed to be more like Jesus.
STUDY QUESTION: According to John 13:35 how can we know if we are a disciple of Jesus?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Is getting to know Jesus through His Word your top priority?
APPLICATION: Let's give God the best time of day by starting off in His Word.
If someone asked you, "Do you know the Lord?" what would you say? Well I would hope you would say, "Absolutely, I know Him very well." As simple as this may sound it is something to ponder for sure. After all, there are many people who claim to know of Jesus, but they don't actually know Him personally.
All this to say, there is a significant difference in having an intellectual knowledge of Jesus versus having a relationship with Him. We can see how significant the difference is by looking at what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 7:21-23.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
Q: What does it mean to know Jesus?
To know Jesus is to have a relationship with Him. It is to spend time with Him, speaking (praying) to Him and listening to Him as well, as we read His Word. How can we say we know someone if we don't spend time with them?
To know Jesus also implies our believing in Him - believing He is God. It implies we are committed to following Him and are willing to be obedient to His Word. To know Jesus means we will have a conscious need to be forgiven and a conviction within our heart that through Him alone we can be saved (John 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5).
If we know the Lord then we will desire to know His will for our life (Rom. 12:1-2). We will have a heart to lay our life down so we might be used as a vessel of honor in the hands of God. We will be mindful of our duty to be salt and light in a world full of darkness. If we truly know the Lord we will not hide ourselves from the unbelieving world, but instead we will allow the light and love of God to shine brightly through us.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 (NKJV)
I want to encourage you to meditate upon these things today. Let's choose to talk to God today. Let's choose to take time to listen to Him as well. As we read our Bibles let's ask Him to teach us His will for our lives. Let's set our hearts on being transformed to be more like Jesus.
STUDY QUESTION: According to John 13:35 how can we know if we are a disciple of Jesus?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Is getting to know Jesus through His Word your top priority?
APPLICATION: Let's give God the best time of day by starting off in His Word.
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