Unveiled to Know Him…in Love

In the prayer that Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, He begins by saying: (verse 3) And this is eternal life: to know You, the only true and real God, and also Jesus Christ Whom You have sent. Salvation comes from knowing God and receiving Jesus Christ. Through knowing Him, we can choose to receive His love and Lordship. But coming to know Him does not stop at salvation. Let’s look at what Paul said in Philippians 3:10.

For my determined purpose is that I may know Jesus [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him… (that I would) recognize and understand the wonders of (Who He His) more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection… (AMP)

Throughout the New Testament, when the writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, talked about “knowing” God, it referred to two important things: 1) An intimate knowing…like a husband and wife know each other and 2) a progression of knowing…a growth in knowing.

I grew up going to church. I went to Sunday School as a child and was a part of my youth group. I learned a lot ABOUT God and Jesus, but I didn’t really KNOW Him. I read about Him. Others told me about Him. I’d even asked Him to be my Lord and Savior at five-years-old…an encounter so real that I skipped all the way home because I was so full of joy to be part of a brand-new family. But it wasn’t until I really started engaging with Him and talking to Him…and realizing that He actually wanted to talk with me, too…that our relationship really started to grow. And after 45 years, I’m STILL growing in my relationship with Him!

In Philippians 3:10, Paul said it was his determined purpose to know Christ. But when He wrote that, he was already a Christian. He had already been traveling and preaching and starting many churches. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he had already written many of the letters that now make up much of the New Testament. He had already been persecuted for his faith and was even in prison while He was writing his letter to the Philippians. Paul was not a new Christian…and yet he was still saying that it was his primary goal in life to know Jesus more. Why? Because there is always more to come to know of Him! Like with your best friend or your spouse (and even yourself!) there is always more to discover about who they are!

2 Cor 3:18 AMP And we all, with unveiled face, are continually seeing in the mirror (of God’s Word) the glory of the Lord, (and when we look to the Word) we are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

We are meant to be growing progressively from glory to glory by God’s Word and His Spirit at work in our lives. All of this is made possible because of His Love. We receive His Love at salvation, but we also receive His Love when we experience every other gift from Him, too. Healing, provision, protection, the gifts of the leading and infilling of the Holy Spirit, and so many other things are all expressions of His Love. Every aspect of His Love needs to be received as a gift by faith, though…received through trust in His goodness and in His Name.

• To know God is to know love. (for God is love [1 John 4:8])

• To know love is to be able to love God. (We love God because He first loved us. [1 John 4:19])

• To love God is to obey Him. (Jesus said, If you love me you will obey my commands. [John 14:15])

• To obey Him is to love Him and to love ourselves and to love others. (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, Love your neighbor as you love yourselves. [Matthew 22:37-39])

• To love others is to serve them with humility. (For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. [Mark 10:45] Greater love has no man than this, than to lay his life down for his friends. [John 15:13])

• And to serve others with humility is to minister with His power.

Father, I pray that each person reading this today would be rooted deep in your love and founded securely on Your love. I pray that they would have the power to understand the experience of Your love...every dimension of it...the width, the length, the height and the depth of Your love. I want them to really come to know, both practically and for experience themselves, the love of Christ which goes far beyond just trying to understand it in their minds. I want each person to be filled through all their being with the fullness of God. I am asking that each of them would receive and experience the richest measure of Your Divine Presence and be filled and flooded with God Himself. (Ephesians 3:17-19)