Intimacy = “I know you, I let you know me, and we care deeply about each other.”
How many people do you know by name? Dozens? Hundreds? A thousand, or more? Are you ever overwhelmed by the number of people in the world and the situations they are facing? Would you want to know each of them closely?
Though there are and have been so many people to be known, God already knows them. He knows you! He wants to reveal Himself to you. He wants you to know Jesus His Son. In fact, if there is anyone in all of history and in the universe with whom we must be intimately connected, it is with Jesus Christ. Our quality of life here depends on it. Our life after this one depends on knowing God, and His Son Jesus Christ, whom He has sent”.
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10
Walk in the Light of Encounters with Jesus
As I encountered Jesus along my life, I changed. Jesus does that to people.
Consider those He encountered during His life on earth:
- the woman at the well/John 4
- the adulterous woman/John 8
- the widow whose son died/Luke 7
- Lazarus/John 11
- Zacchaeus/Luke 19
- Peter/John 21.
Jesus met them in one place in life and radically changed them. Even those who ultimately chose to reject Jesus were changed. They got bitter rather than better. They got angry, hard-hearted, and some wanted Him dead. Some actually sentenced Jesus to death on the cross.
As a child, I was moved and awed by Jesus – from that tiny baby in a manger to His miracles, to His death and resurrection. There was and is no one like Him. Back then and for too many years, I concluded wrongly that Jesus didn’t really feel things or have emotions, as we do. My reasoning led me down a path that sounded like this: He is Jesus Son of God and too busy ruling the universe to be touched by our emotions. Jesus did His duty. Jesus fulfilled prophecy. Jesus was holy and, therefore, unable or unwilling to have emotions. Well, perhaps He did display anger, as when Jesus cleansed the temple or, as God, when He brought judgment on rebellious people. That path of reasoning kept me in the dark. Most of the emotions I associated with God were negative or neutral ones. I did not see God or His Son as joyful, happy.
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How Do We Come to Have an Intimate Knowledge of God?
I am so glad you asked!
Encounter Jesus often- Wow, was I wrong about God’s depth of emotion. Now I know at least a little better that God feels. God cares. God is not overcome by His emotions or ever loses control, but He displays His love for people in verses like Ezekiel 33:11 and John 11:35. He passionately desires for all men everywhere to be saved, but He knows they won’t. He is not happy to judge or punish, but He will. He disciplines those of us who are His. Getting to know God better helps me see that He is the perfect, loving Father. He does what love requires in order to show love to us. He is love! I John 4:16 Perhaps my own shortcomings as a dad and the impressions I kept from my childhood too heavily influenced my prior negative views of God.
Experience the Word of God- Because God loves us and wants an intimate relationship with us, let’s walk in the light of “doing the Book” / experiencing the Word of God. As a dad, I wanted my young children to be obedient and trust me to ask them to do only those things that would be helpful – not harmful – to them. Our heavenly Father gave us the Bible and Holy Spirit to help us know what to do to be obedient to Him, since He knows exactly what is best for us. When we “do the Book”, we grow to discover the heart of our great God and Father. He knows how to do life, relationships, work, and what brings the greatest joy. Reading the Bible is like reading a letter from a loving father. Doing His revealed will is obeying Him. Being with Him by choosing time with Him in prayer and worship is like curling up in His lap and enjoying being beside Him to simply listen to His heart beat.
Enjoy Real Fellowship- Walk in the Light of Other Disciples
Keep it simple. With a friend either in your home or outside it, strike up a conversation using this question: When God thinks about you, what expression do you imagine He has on His face?
Possible Responses:
Frown – I think He is disappointed in my because I am not good enough.
Scowl – I think He is angry because I am so bad or I don’t ever think about Him.
Blank Stare – I don’t think God thinks about me at all.
Smile – I know He loves me and knows I am not perfect, but He obviously cares for me.
Perhaps engaging with others using this kind of question and conversation, we can get to know others and let them in on getting to know us. We can experience mutual care in potentially intimate relationships.
Perhaps coming to grips with our answer to this question, we can better understand and get “to know God and His Son Jesus Christ, whom He has sent”. Pretty important, if eternal life is to be in our future and abundant life in our present.
Please remember, friend, Jesus feels what you feel. He knows you deeply!