In yesterday’s devotion we began to realize that there are no short cuts to take, no formulas to memorize, and no deals to cut with our Lord that can substitute for the obedience we must give to His commandments.
The Holy Spirit, who lives within us, is truly a gentleman. He will never force His will and desires on any of us. But He also doesn’t want us to be mislead into believing that the general level of Christianity in America today has any hope of achieving a deep relationship with God. We have lowered God’s standards so much that we have allowed the devil to make us think that all we need to do is go to church on Sunday and don’t curse or steal.
But God is an infinitely holy God and His standards haven’t changed in over 2,000 years. In fact (I Peter 1:15-16) tells us what God’s standards are: “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Only when we are willing to truly crucify our flesh daily, delete the word compromise from our vocabularies, and turn the keys to running our own lives over to the Holy Spirit, will we be able to experience that deep intimacy we all yearn for with the Lord.
If you are not totally sold out for Jesus we must realize that we will have to settle for knowing about God instead of knowing God.
When Jesus told His disciples in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for them, Thomas and Philip asked Jesus two things. Thomas asked: “…Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” And Philip asked: “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” (John 14:5,8). Jesus’ response is truly profound. “ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9).
So many people say they know Jesus, but what they really mean is that they know about Him. Their shallow walk and low level of obedience to the Word of God disqualify them from any intimacy with our Lord Jesus. Jesus told Philip that if he really knew Him he never would have asked the question he did; but would have known that Jesus and the Father are one.
(1 John 2:3) says it best: “ By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” You can’t be intimate with somebody you only know about. You have to know them personally and deeply before this type of relationship can develop.
And the way to know Jesus intimately is to obey Him fully. If you are willing to sacrifice all for Jesus then be prepared to enter into the very presence of God! I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. (Psalm 16:11) tells us what to expect: “…In Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Just what is your desire level when it comes to knowing Jesus? In my opinion the only logical level should be sky high. For nothing in this world can compare with the joy of truly knowing Jesus and the peace that automatically flows to those who rest in Him.
The way I see it, why settle for the “passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25), which disobedience to God may bring, when we can experience “pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11), by obeying His Word. The choice is yours but I ask you to consider the logical consequences that each path will bring, before making up your mind.
This is true and we all need to hear/read this.
Drawing closer to Jesus makes me look forward all the more, to being with Him in heaven
excellent article as usual Curt! Scripture tells us that we must “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. test yourselves. or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 2 Corinthians 13. thank you for posting this….i’m going to put this on my FB page like i have with others. God bless!