Really Knowing
Are we like so many others, satisfied with our maker as a gentle, love fixes everything sort of fellow? Is it much easier to imagine Jesus Christ as a hands on healer or hillside story teller than anything else? The power and glory of God doesn’t arise out of these pleasant holiday images but rather from the sheer agony of the cross. If our earthly life is all that we are concerned about, then an adorable baby in a manger or a seriously gentle teacher may be enough to satisfy us, but it won’t nearly be enough to sustain us, either here or here-after. That type of spiritual life is for appearances only. It’s like buying a beautiful coat that won’t keep you warm or dry. Good for a party but it won’t help at all when the days of cold or rain come, and they will. Maybe you’re assuming that we can just go out and get the truly protective coat we’ll need when the days actually turn foul. Here’s the catch in this coat metaphor, Jesus isn’t on the rack. The power of the cross (redemption and salvation), is truly a very special order gift. Although the supply is unlimited, the selection, ordering and delivery process takes time, precious time which we may not have when the clouds begin to gather.
Jesus Christ is much more than just a protective coat. He can be the primary source of joy and light for us. The happiness which He infuses us with is unmatched by any other source of pleasure. This is difficult to understand if we’ve never bothered to invite Him closely into our lives and then really gotten to know Him. Jesus isn’t only God, we are created in His image, He walked in our shoes, on our paths and he feels our deepest emotions. He sacrificed His earthly life for us. God is love and love is the sweetest of medicines, the feast of the heart. Love is joy in a look, a touch, sharing or a sentiment. God’s love is the purest form of this emotional ecstasy. The power that we seek on rainy days is another part of God, equally, if not even more important than love when we really need it. A friend is always a friend, not just in good times or on holidays. When we call out to God, we don’t want to hear … ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.‘ (Luke 13:25b, 26 NIV). Find the joy in really knowing God today.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE
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