DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY – KNOWING JESUS!

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
- Amy Carmichael.

Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. - Philippians 3:8–9. cev

Today, it’s all about knowing Jesus, what is better than that? Paul said that he held everything else to be worthless, in comparison with that knowledge, and he was willing to sacrifice everything else in order to obtain it. Paul was willing to give up all of his Jewish privileges, and anything else that came between him and Christ.

C.H. Spurgeon, first words in the pulpit of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London…. Said this:

I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this Church, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this building shall be frequented by worshipers… shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist; I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist; but if I am asked what my creed is, I reply, "It is Jesus Christ."

My venerated predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a [theological heritage] admirable and excellent in its way. But the [legacy] to which I would pin and bind myself forever, God helping me, is Jesus Christ, who is the arm and substance of the gospel, who is in Himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth.

Paul had experienced a real conversion, and nothing was going to stop him knowing Christ. We are probably thinking… “Yeah! But Paul was special, we are just ordinary Christians!” Didn’t Paul by giving everything away, his privileges, his position, his status, etc; make himself “ordinary,” I think he did.

There are so many stony ground hearers who receive the Word with joy that I have determined to suspend my judgment till I know the tree by its fruits ... Do you think any farmer would have a crop of corn next year unless he plowed now? You may as well expect a crop of corn on unplowed ground as a crop of grace until the soul is convinced of its being undone without a Savior.

That is the reason we have so many mushroom converts, so many persons that are always happy! happy! happy! And never were miserable. Why? Because their stony ground is not plowed up; they have not got a conviction of the law . . . they fall away . . . That makes me so cautious now, which I was not thirty years ago, of dubbing converts too soon.

Now I wait a little, and see if people bring forth fruit; for there are so many blossoms which March winds blow away that I cannot believe they are converts till I see fruit brought forth. - George Whitefield.

Paul made a voluntary choice of following Christ, His cross, His poverty, and his criticism; and for these he freely sacrificed all that he had from the world, and all he could anticipate from it. He made this choice so that he would know Him. Knowing Jesus is all about sacrifice. Are you willing to sacrifice everything to know Him?

In Christ We Have:
A love that can never be fathomed
A life that can never die
A righteousness that can never be tarnished
A peace that can never be understood
A rest that can never be disturbed
A joy that can never be diminished
A hope that can never be disappointed
A glory that can never be clouded
A light that can never be darkened
A purity that can never be defiled
A beauty that can never be marred
A wisdom that can never be baffled
Resources that can never be exhausted.
- Source Unknown.

Paul was never satisfied with his knowledge of Christ and always craved more fellowship with him. Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him intellectually, personally & relationally? Our greatest quest in life should be to know Jesus. If you don’t know Jesus and want to get to know Him, you can find what you want, Here.

Loving Father, I thank you that I know your dear son Jesus! I thank you for the love, joy and peace that my Lord and Saviour has brought into my life! I thank you that He took me from a life of misery, to a life of never-ending happiness! I pray that anyone reading this will also know Christ in their life. In the wonderful Name of Jesus ! Amen

Be Encouraged!
GBYAY