Knowing Christ
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
Philippians 3:8
The greatest thing in life is knowing Christ and having a close, loving relationship with Him. We will never be complete until we are with the Father and the Son in Heaven. We are created in the image of God which means we are meant to be with God for eternity.
The closer we are to the Lord and the more we read the Word, pray, worship, and serve Him, the more fulfilling our life becomes. Nothing on the planet compares to knowing and serving Christ with a heart filled with His love. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10) Life to the full only occurs when we have a close relationship with Christ and we serve Him motivated by a heart of love.
I was asked by a young Christian friend, “How do I get my heart filled with God’s love and how do I develop a close relationship with Christ?” I told him that a heart filled with God’s love and a close, loving relationship with the Lord, is an ongoing process for the rest of our lives. Life always gets better because we are continually serving the Lord, receiving His love in our hearts and getting closer to the Lord. It starts by following the Spirit, He fills our hearts with His love, and the more love we have in our hearts the more we know the Lord.
The more as we serve Him, the more we get to know Him which requires reading and meditating on the Word, prayer, and fellowship with a strong, Christian Church family. As we continue in these, we learn to be disciples of Christ and we start to minister to the world. We pray for opportunities to teach the Word, and we search for these opportunities. We always give priority to Bible studies, worship service, and ministry. This is God’s plan to renew our minds and to change our hearts.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) The more of God’s love we have in our hearts, the more we know the Lord. We obtain this love by loving our neighbor and praying for opportunities to tell others about Christ. Love grows in our hearts as we reflect love. Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6) If we want a heart filled with God’s love and to be closer to the Lord, then we must live as Jesus lived. If we read about the life of Jesus, we can understand his thoughts and his heart. No matter what talents the Lord has given us, we all can live with the heart of Jesus.
Today, strive to live as Jesus would live your day. Tell others why you have peace and joy during this pandemic.
Prayer: Lord, fill my heart with your love and lead me to minister to others as I follow the Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen