Have you ever known someone who really seemed to know and love Jesus? Like really KNOW Him? Maybe, you wondered how in the world someone comes to a place in life where they truly know and encounter the One True Living God. I will start by saying, “No one gets close to God on accident.” Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” So, there you have it. You must search for God with all your heart. But how?
I’ll share an example. If you and I were to meet every day, for a year, for just 20 minutes, to share a cup of coffee or a Diet Coke and talk, over the course of the year, we would most likely become friends. We would begin to “know” one another. You might learn or know what new recipe I tried, or what my favorite show was, or if I had seen my grandbabies recently or hit a big sale at Kohl’s, etc. I would also begin to “know” you too. This is a very natural result of consistently spending time together on a regular basis, talking and listening. It seems very simple, but the concept is the same in coming to know and love Jesus. Truly know Him. Spending daily, consistent time in God’s presence listening and talking is how we search for God. We pursue Him. We instigate time with Him each day.
One of the main ways God speaks to His people, is through the Bible. You have probably heard people call the Bible, God’s Word. This is because the Bible is actually God’s words to us, His children. So, in this daily time with God, you need to allow God to speak to you through His written word as well as spend time talking to God in prayer. Any relationship is a mix of listening and talking. It is the same with God, but much more powerful and meaningful because of the Holy Spirit being involved. It’s a God thing.
If you are brand new to the idea of having a daily time with Jesus, here is a basic place to start.
Begin with ½ a minute of preparing your heart, inviting God to this time together. Ask God to help you understand that the words you read from the Bible, are His words to you.
Spend about 4 minutes or so, reading from your Bible. I prefer to slowly read through one book (in the Bible) at a time. You can use a devotional book with scripture too.
Close with a time sitting in God’s presence as you respond to what He has said or revealed to you that day from the Bible. Close your time together in praying to your Creator, the One Who loves you so.
You may also want to journal or jot down what God is teaching you or how God is answering your prayers. Don’t let this become a duty, think of it as time with your best friend. Time spent loving, listening, sharing and searching with all your heart. I promise you that God can use this time to begin to change you from the inside out. You will begin to obey the things taught in the Bible. You will begin to want to be more like Jesus. You will begin to want others to know and love Him as you do.
50 years ago, I began this relationship with the King of my heart, Jesus. I truly fall more in love with Him each year, one day at a time. Won’t you join me in coming to truly KNOW our Lord?
Resources
For a complete Bible story worship experience with your child, please go to ministrygrid.lifeway.com and create or log in to your free account. Then follow this link for this week’s lesson: Jesus Taught a Samaritan Woman.
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