John 7:25-29
Some of the people who lived there in
Jerusalem said among themselves, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to
kill? But here he is preaching in public, and they say nothing to him.
Can it be that our leaders have learned, after all, that he really is
the Messiah? But how could he be? For we know where this man was born;
when Christ comes, he will just appear and no one will know where he
comes from.”
So Jesus, in a sermon in the Temple, called out,
“Yes, you know me and where I was born and raised, but I am the
representative of one you don’t know, and he is Truth. I know him
because I was with him, and he sent me to you.”
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Another
one of my high school teachers died this week. Mr. Stark taught my 8th
grade science class and my 10th grade biology class. He also taught
chemistry…a class I did not take! Mr. Stark taught in my hometown
school system for decades. He taught my mother’s sister…my husband and
me…and my siblings. I felt like I knew Mr. Stark well…and yet, there
was a lot I did not know about him.
As I read this man’s
obituary, I learned that he was born in a neighboring county…that he had
served in the U.S. Army…and that he had a great love for Mexico and
traveled there often. I knew that he had studied our county’s history
intensively and was something of an expert on Native Americans who lived
in this area, and that he had collected many Native American artifacts
as he scoured the countryside for evidence and information. But I
didn’t know that he was the “family historian” among his own clan.
In essence, I knew enough about this educator to call him an acquaintance…maybe even a friend. But I didn’t really know
him! And in a nutshell, this is how it is for many of us in our
relationship with Jesus. We know just enough about Jesus to call Him a
friend…to want to say that we belong to Him…to claim salvation and
forgiveness for our sins through His blood on the cross. But we don’t
really know him! Deep down, we don’t fully embrace
Jesus…we don’t trust Him completely and believe totally in His God-given
power and authority over every facet of our lives.
We know
Jesus enough to call on Him when “the chips are down” – to utter a quick
prayer when the mood strikes us. But we have never taken the time to
stop and fully consider the impact of His sacrifices on our behalf. We
have never given a lot of thought to the suffering He endured in
atonement for our sins – the ones we are committing
today…now…long after He was crucified, died, was buried, and ascended
into Heaven. We have not stopped to let the incredible, inexplicable,
unending love of Jesus soak into every pore of our being. We don’t
really, truly know Jesus!
But we can change this!
We can stop and listen for His voice. We can crack open our Bibles and
read what Jesus has to tell us. We can study the Gospels and examine
the teachings of Jesus…and we can apply them to our daily living in a
new and profound way. We can talk to Jesus…often…and ask Him to show us
how to live in a way that pleases Him. We can share our deepest fears
with Him…our hopes and dreams…our frustrations and disappointments. We
can learn to trust that He hears us…that because of Jesus, GOD meets our
every need – perfectly.
We.can.know.Jesus…in a way that
really matters. Don’t you want this? Are you ready to get started?
Is today the day that you will begin to truly know your Savior? Don’t’
you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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