Living Purposefully: To Know Jesus for Myself

There was a time when the only knowledge I really had of God was based on secondhand information. Information that often was not accurate. Most of my life growing up my picture of God was of someone up in the sky who didn't care about me. A God who takes away people who love you and allows little children to be hurt. I believed in a God that was powerless over the lives of man and who condemned them. I heard about how God sends people to hell. I was afraid of Him and didn't really care about him.

I became a Christian at 16 when a friend introduced Jesus to me. He seemed much nicer than God. So I decided to get to know Him, not realizing at the time you can't separate them! So often it I found it confusing. "It" being the Christian life, the Bible, quiet time, truth, church and devotions! Everyone seemed to have a different opinion or approach. I would try various ways to "know" God by using various studies or devotionals. I would run out and buy the latest book or attend conferences and workshops all promising to help me grow in the word and know Jesus. Many of them where good. Filled with wonderful truths. But I struggled. There always seemed like something was missing.

WHO was this Jesus? This Jesus that brought peace to the heart and strength to the weary soul? Why did I feel as if I didn't really know Him. At least in a way that completely transformed my life. I was tired of living a victoriousless life. I met people that knew a Jesus I did not know. They knew a God I did not know. I wanted to know God the way they did. I wanted their God, not my version of Him.

It has come gradualy,knowing the One True God. It came when I learned to read and study God's word for myself. It came when His word began to come alive on the pages as I read them. I began to experience the God of the Bible for myself. I began to see that my version of God was based on lies. I began to see that in order to seek God I needed to know Him because I have pursued Him through His word and in His word He has revealed Himself to me.

We need to allow God to reveal truth to us through His word, not solely through someone else. We need to grow beyond needing to be fed and learn to feed ourselves. We need to learn to study God's word and drink deeply from the truth written there.

We need to know, believe and follow Jesus because "we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:42)

What Jesus do you follow? One you have heard about through others or one you have heard for yourself?

Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world." John 4:41-42

A great resource to learn to study the Bible for yourself is Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Leave me some joy...