Know Jesus

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” – Matthew 7:21-23

Senior Josh Smith spoke at chapel last week exhorting students to get to know Jesus. He said, “Don’t wait! Knowing Jesus is the best thing you can do.” Josh shared his own story about knowing Jesus and what being a Christian means. Yes, we are saved by grace and Jesus meets us wherever we are. We can know who Jesus is and what he has done for us, but we will only be able to proclaim this by our fruits.  James 2:19-20 says, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?” (NLT).  Our intimacy with Jesus doesn’t flourish unless we walk the talk. And when we walk the talk, others will have a chance to get to know Jesus too. At the same time, our works mean nothing if we don’t know Jesus and are obedient to Him and the true love that only He can provide.

Dean of Students, Juan Gonzalez, followed up by further emphasizing the importance of our intimacy with Christ. Knowing Christ is true freedom and brings true joy. This means that we have to give up control and be obedient to Him. This also means that we don’t always get our way! Oftentimes we want to pray for particular circumstances, but we do not always get the answers we want. Intimacy with Christ is a two-way street. We have to be real with Him and put everything at His feet. Mr. Gonzales shared an excerpt from a devotional called Take Heart by David Powlison that sums it up well, “The Bible rarely focuses on health, finances, travel mercies, doing well on a test, finding a job, or the salvation of  unsaved relatives. These are legitimate things to pray for, because God cares for all of life. But, he never intends that these topics dominate our prayer requests. They miss the real action of God’s dealings with his beloved people…Biblical prayers ask God to show himself so we will know him. They name our troubles and seek refuge in him. They name our sins and seek mercy from him. They ask for the clarity of mind and strength of purpose to love others. They name our holy desires and commitments. They name our God, remember his promises, seek his will…If you are praying for matters with personal consequences, then you have conversations of consequence”.

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