“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” PHILIPPIANS 3:8-10
Christianity is not a code. It is not a cause. It is not a creed, and it is not conduct; it’s Christ. The mark of a Christian is love for the Lord Jesus Christ. The true desire of every child of God is to know Jesus Christ intimately. We want more than redemption; we want a relationship. We want more than gifts; we want the Giver. We want Jesus Christ to be real to us. As the Apostle Paul said: “Oh, that I may know Him.” Paul knew Christ intellectually and spiritually, but Paul wanted to know more still about the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want Christ to be real to me. I want to know, not merely about Him; I want to know Him. We will all come to judgment someday, and I want to meet face-to-face the Savior I’ve already known heart-to-heart. Maybe you decided on Jesus a long time ago, but you don’t know very much about the God who saved you. You can get to know Him through His Word. You can allow Him to show you who He is through His Spirit. We have the opportunity and privilege to know Him intimately.
- How well do we know Jesus? How have we learned about Him throughout our lives?
- What are some ways we can get to know Jesus better? Is that something we desire and prioritize?
Spend extra time in the Word to learn more about Jesus. Ask Him to help you know Him heart-to-heart.