1 John 1:3 – “What we have seen and heard we declare to you, so that you and we together may share in a common life, that life which we share with The Father and His Son Jesus Christ.”
John’s is my favourite gospel. It was written by a man who caught fish for a living. Before he followed Jesus, he was drawn to the wilderness to listen to a strange figure dressed in camel hair, who spoke of one to come who would change the world. This strange man introduced him to Jesus.
His gospel describes the great adventure as he followed Jesus on His travels, witnessing miracles and hearing truth. He was a man who had a personal testimony of Jesus, who loved Him and stood by him at the cross. He described himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
We also can have a personal experience of Jesus. He gives His Spirit to those who put their trust in Him. His word speaks to us like a love letter to our hearts. In worship when we open our hearts it is possible to feel His presence and experience the peace of His loving touch. Many have spoken of meeting Jesus in their dreams; I am one of them.
I will admit that I envy John’s personal experience of knowing Jesus. He got to live with the Son of God on this earth for 3 years. He got to see the miracles and hear the teaching first hand.
My question is, how much can I know Jesus? How personal can my experience really get as I live my life here on earth, while Jesus is up in heaven? Like Paul, I long to know Jesus, but how can I do this?
I have the bible, including the gospels, to read and try to understand. I have The Spirit of God within my heart. I have hopefully, the reality of seeing prayers answered and hearing how God has broken into others lives. I need to look at these and think about the question, how much do I actually know Jesus in my life?
I challenge you today to want more than head knowledge of Christian truth; but rather seek personal knowledge of the one who is the truth. The song is wrong, God is not out there,at a distance”, He is close by, longing for you to make it personal.