Philippians 3: 7 -8 NKJV
This week Dennis forwarded a few questions to a few of us asking, "Do you really want to know Jesus?" This was all fine and good to me, because who wouldn't want to know more about Jesus right? Well, what struck me about his questions reminded me more about what are we willing to give up in order to know Jesus on a more personal level than do we just want to know Him. This may indeed be a tack that not too many people will take in getting to "Know" Christ Jesus. Yes, we know that Jesus was the Son of God, that he died for us on the cross and rose agian on the third day, but there's so much more to Jesus the man than that. For not only did Christ die on the cross that our sins would be forgiven, He BECAME sin on our behalf that we would no longer face the punishment of our own sin {2 Corinthians 5:21}. I believe what Dennis did was ask us to search our hearts to ask if we really wanted to know Him.
1. What is most important, your personal well being or knowing the person of christianity?
Most of us place a pretty high value on our own life and safety, for good reason. What person is there who would not value their own life? Yet, are we willing to forsake our own well being in order to have that relationship with He who loved us first?
2. Are you concerned more about the things of your life or knowing the person who IS your life?
We all place alot of value on those things which we own, our possesions. Somehow our homes, cars and clothing seem to take on a higher value than their actual worth. Jesus Himself warned us of this in His sermon on the mount. When we worry about our possesions, it is Jesus who tells us "Do not worry, for your heaveny Father knows your needs." Knowing this, shouldn't our focus then be on He who is our very life {Galations 2:20}?
3. Are you trying to be a good person or trusting in the goodness of Christ?
This can be a tough one for some of us. For the church continually tells us that there is a link between how we behave and our very salvation and blessings from God. We may try to be a good person, but in the end this has zero influence over our Lords blessings or our own eternity with Him. That is performance based christianity and it's more old covenant than the new which Jesus gives us.
4. Are you anxious for your future or resigned to the future of Christ in you?
We all worry about that road that lies in front of us. Truth is, we are not given the promise of tommorrow. Jesus Himself tells us to first seek our Lords righteousness before we ever worry for what the future may hold {Matthew 6: 33-34}. Should we know the truth of Christ Jesus which Paul tells us of in Galations 2:20, then we indeed can be secure in the knowledge that the ONLY thing which we can count on is that Christ Jesus has reconciled his Fathers children unto Him. Once we know this truth of Christ Jesus in us, we can cast aside our worries of the future and rejoice in our eternity with Him.
When we hear the words of the apostle Paul to the Philippians we can see just where his thoughts were directed. For Paul, all things which he had gained he counted as loss for Christ Jesus. How many of us can count our homes, cars or relationships as loss for Christ Jesus? If we truly want to know the man Jesus, then this is where our own hearts need be.
16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8: 16 - 18 NKJV
~Scott~
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