To Know Him is to Love Him

To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile make my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
And I do.

Written by Phil Spector and first recorded by “The Teddy Bears,” this song hit the number-one spot in 1958. Through the years it was covered by many other artists and I bet as you read those lyrics, you were singing the melody. I know I did as I typed them. Do you remember those early days of love, when you just couldn’t get enough of your beloved? You wanted to spend every moment together, learning all you could about one another. What is her favorite flower? What is his favorite song? What makes her happy? What makes him laugh? Her fragrance was intoxicating. You hung on his every word. You became “a student” of the one you love, trying to discover all the wonderful things about them, like hunting for hidden treasures. It seemed that the more you knew about each other, the deeper your affection went.
Do you have the same desire to know and love God? Jesus said, “This is eternal life; that they may know you . . .“ (John 17:3). He also said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37). That’s not a casual Sunday-only relationship.
He is the greatest and deepest love you can ever know. Perhaps it never occurred to you that you can know God, but over and over His Word expresses His desire for us to know Him. The apostle Paul said God wants us to “seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him” (Acts 17:27) The same principle in our earthly relationships holds true in our relationship with God.
I have discovered that the more I come to know Him, the more I love Him and the more I love Him the more I want to know Him. Beloved, can there be any better pursuit for your life than to seek to know and love God? Not just know about Him, but know Him. In the Bible, the word “know” implies a level of intimacy that describes a marital relationship. It means there is nothing that comes between the husband and wife. It is deep. Committed. Unbreakable. Everlasting. That is the love God desires from us. “My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

Resurrection Sunday

Happy Resurrection Day! It’s Easter Sunday and Jesus is alive! Death could not hold Him. The grave could not keep Him. It’s a day to shout the news from the mountaintops: Satan lost and Jesus won! Everything changed when the King arose.
If you’ve been around the church very long, you know this story well. It is the foundation of the Christian faith. But the Spirit has been teaching me to sit in the Scriptures and soak up what I tend to rush over in my familiarity.
There is one part of the Easter story that came alive to me several years ago when I first started writing out Scripture. It’s in John’s account of the resurrection in chapter 20. Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb to grieve. She saw that the stone was rolled away and looked inside to discover that His body was gone. Two angels guarded the place where He had lain. I imagine her stumbling backward in confusion and fresh waves of grief. Through her tear-filled eyes, she sees a man, probably the gardener, she assumes. He approaches and asks, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for” (v. 15). She pleads for the body of her Lord. Then He calls her by name: “Mary.” And she knows. It is Jesus. He is alive! Heart pounding. Mind racing. Hands shaking. She answers: “Rabboni!” And all her grief turns to Joy.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in human history. Easter celebrates the day the Son of God rose from the dead and assured eternal life for all who would believe on Him. But in that quiet morning, Easter was very personal for one woman. Before the disciples and the rest of Israel would hear that Jesus had risen, Mary saw Him with her own eyes.
As you gather in places of worship today and listen to the old, old Easter story, hear it with fresh ears. Imagine yourself all alone in the garden early on that Sunday morning. Listen closely as the Lord calls out your name. Easter is for all the world, and it is just for you. May the Joy of the resurrection fill your heart today Beloved. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

The Command of Love

I’m looking at the “Love Chapter” – 1 Corinthians 13 – Paul’s discourse on all things love. I realize that love, as the Bible defines it, is not something we are to seek – it is something we are to give. It is something we do, not something we demand. I cannot find one verse in all the Bible that tells me to spend my life looking for love. What I find is Jesus saying, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). Did you know that this is the only time in the Gospels that Jesus prefaces His words with “This is my command . . .”? He said it two more times – in John 13:34 and 15:17. I believe He means it.
I’m reading Paul’s words and weighing my actions this week against them.
“Love is patient . . .” Well, I blew that one. Multiple times.
“Love is kind . . .” Not as much as I should have been.
“It does not envy . . .” Um, maybe I should stay off Facebook.
“It does not boast . . .” I got this one – I am proud of how humble I am!
“It is not rude . . .” I am a Southern woman; we are not rude – but we can be quite insistent.
“It is not self-seeking . . .” Sometimes we have to look out for ourselves, at least that is what modern psychology says, right?
“It is not easily angered . . .” Well, this is getting uncomfortable.
“It keeps no record of wrong . . .” Sigh.
“It does not delight in evil . . .” Whew! Finally, one I can claim.
“But rejoices with the truth . . .” Sometimes the truth is a bitter pill to swallow.
“It always protects . . .” I do try to be a protector.
“Always trusts . . .” Ouch.
“Always hopes . . .” Lord, forgive me.
“Always perseveres . . .” I got nothing.
I clearly have a long way to go. But I found some good news. John wrote “Let us love one another, for love comes from God. We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 Jn 4:7, 16). This is the only way we can obey Christ’s command. The love that Paul endorsed is holy, enduring, perfect love that comes from God alone through His Holy Spirit. When we are filled with God’s love first we become a conduit and it changes our hearts as it flows through us to others. And that, Beloved, is the kind of love that never fails.

Take What God Has Given You

“Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess” (Numbers 33:53). This was God’s word to the Israelites when they came to the edge of the Promised Land after forty years of wandering in the wilderness. They were about to take possession of the territory that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long ago – land was already inhabited by powerful people who would not surrender without a fight. The Israelites would have to go in and take what God had given to them.
The Holy Spirit nudged my heart, “What has God given to you that you need to take possession of?” Let’s see what the Scripture says.
This past year has been full of turmoil and anxiety for me. But Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). That means I don’t have to search for His peace, He had already given it to me.
I confess that I have said, “I don’t think I can do what You expect of me. It’s too hard.” But His Word says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). God has prepared us for life in His Son.
I have always tended to be melancholy – I don’t naturally “bubble over,” but Jesus has given me Joy – His Joy. He said, “My Joy may be in you . . . that your Joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11). And He told the Father that we have been given “the full measure of [His] Joy” (Jn 17:13).
“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you” (Jn 15:9). From Genesis to Revelation the Bible speaks of God’s unfailing, abiding, lavish love which He freely gives to you and me.
“I have given them your word” (Jn 17:14). Jesus came to earth as the Word of God made flesh (Jn 1:14) so that we could know God’s heart.
“I have given them the glory that You gave me” (Jn 17:22). Read it again. This is incredible! Jesus has given you and me His very own glory. He has exalted us in Him before the Father.
And this is the greatest gift of all – “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 Jn 5:11). Words fail me. It is too wonderful for my finite mind.
All of these are ours in Christ. Not just will be. Are. But we must lay hold of what has already been decreed for us as God’s children. Beloved, it’s time to take what belongs to you by God’s grace and favor.

God’s Great Promise

We know that the Bible is chockful of promises from beginning to end – promises of His faithfulness and protection, provision, and presence. Promises to fight for us, to come near when we are broken, and to be our shield and sword in the heat of battle. Most of all, He promises salvation and eternal life and an eternal home with Him. All these promises are wrapped up in one beautiful statement: “I will be your God” (Genesis 17:7). And our faith finds its security in that promise.
That was what He told Abraham when He declared a covenant with the patriarch of the Hebrew people. He promised to make him “the father of many nations” (v. 4), to make him very fruitful (v. 6), and to give him the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession for himself and his descendants (v. 8). And He promised the old, childless man a son (v. 16). Then He put His seal on all those promises by saying “I will be your God.”
One of the most important lessons the Lord has been driving home to me in recent years is to trust Him. “For what?” you ask. First, that He will be God. That He is faithful. That He is good. That He is trustworthy and righteous in all His ways. That He will never change or contradict Himself. That He is completely holy. That His Word is true because He is Truth.
And from that foundation, I trust He will be my God. That He will love me with unfailing love (Is 54:10) and show me everlasting kindness (v. 8). That He will never leave me nor forsake me (Jos 1:5). That He will carry me (Is 46:4) and give me rest (Matt 11:28), peace (Jn 14:27), and Joy (Ps 16:11) in Him.
When I trust in His promise to be my God, it is enough. Because He is enough. I have staked my life on that promise. I believe that is the heart and soul of faith. When my life is hard, I return to that assurance: “I am your God.”
I could (and want to) go on and on and on. But most of all I want you to know that He will be your God too, if you trust in His Son. That Beloved, is a promise you can rest in.

Heaven

It was so foggy one recent morning, I could only see a few feet in front of my car as I drove to work. Pea soup fog, the old folks called it. I drove with extra caution, especially at every intersection. It was very scary. I knew if I couldn’t see approaching cars, they couldn’t see me either. I made the turns as I remembered them. I couldn’t even see the campus until I was almost upon it. If I hadn’t been there before I would question whether the school existed at all because the fog was so heavy it hid the buildings. I had no visual proof that it was there.
As the sun got brighter, the fog around my campus burned away and everything was clearly visible. I saw the buildings. I saw students walking into their classrooms. I saw cars in the parking lots. I saw the lake down the hill with ducks splashing away. And I saw the chapel, that place where worship and the Word meet to encourage and challenge the BUF family. It was there all along; it had just been hidden.
God has called us to a place we cannot yet see. A place we’ve heard about, but never witnessed with our own eyes. A place that seems like a far-off dream. The fog of this world has hidden heaven from us and we wonder sometimes, as we travel through this wicked realm, if it’s really there at all.
Let me assure you – it is. Heaven is more real than this earth that will one day pass away and cease to be. Jesus promised, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me” (Jn 14:2-3).
The Son of God is coming again, and when He appears in all His majesty and glory, He will burn away the fog of sin and death and we will behold our heavenly destination. We will see that everything the Lord said is true – has always been true – it was just hidden from our eyes.
Heaven is your forever dwelling place, Beloved. Don’t doubt God’s promise just because you can’t see it now. The fog will lift, the Son will shine, and you will be home.

You Only Get One Shot at Life

We had a fire drill at our office this week. Yes, even colleges have fire drills. We exited our offices and classrooms but we stood in the hallway asking. “Is this a drill or a real fire?” “Is this another malfunction?” The campus safety director came in the back door and hurried us out into the parking lot with a grin. “You are supposed to leave the building and not stand around wondering what’s happening!” To our credit, we had a recent malfunction of the system a couple of weeks ago and weren’t sure if this was the real thing or not. But, he was right – we should have taken the proper precautions and not waited around in a possibly burning building.

This life is not a drill. It’s the only one you get and despite what Shirley MacLain claims, there are no do-overs. When your life and mine are done, it’s over. The Scriptures say, “. . . man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb 9:27). But I’m not here to talk about dying – I’m here to talk about living.

Jesus said, “I have come that they [His sheep – His followers] may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). How can He give us life? Because He is life – He said “I AM . . . the Life” (Jn 14:6). And John said, “In Him was life . . .” (Jn 1:4). If you have Jesus, you have life – yes, for eternity, but also for today.

I had a coworker who constantly walked around saying, “I hate my life,” and I thought how awful it must be to feel that way all the time. And he was a Christian and a pastor. But he was always miserable. He had eternal life, but he didn’t have  Joy and peace and hope in this life. I can’t fault him because I spent many, many years in the same kind of misery until someone told me that I was wasting the precious commodity that God had given me. I was wasting my life and I wouldn’t get another one.

The secret to living is living in Jesus. It’s being washed in His blood. It’s full surrender to His will. It’s walking in His steps. It’s listening to His voice. It’s trusting His promises. It’s casting all our cares and doubts on Him. You only get one shot at this life, Beloved, live it well. Live it with Jesus.

Only One Way to God

“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself”

Do you believe that? I hope not because it is a lie from the pit of hell. It is also a popular philosophical statement from Swami Vivekananda. He was a Hindu philosopher, mystic, author, and religious teacher in the late 1800s who introduced and popularized many Hindu practices in the West, including yoga. He was the driving force behind interfaith awareness – popularized in recent years by “Coexist” bumper stickers. It’s a trendy theory, but it’s not true, and it won’t grant you eternal life. It is interesting that someone who does not know God himself would counsel the world on how to know God.

I discovered the quote while looking for an image about believing God. Google orders search results by popularity. This is what the world wants. A spirituality that is built around themselves rather than built on God. They want a God who is made in their own image, rather than recognizing that they are made in the image of God.

God wants us to know and believe in Him. The Scriptures repeatedly say that God works and acts “that you may know that I am God.” Those words are so frequent I can’t note all the references. But you and I won’t know and believe in God through ourselves. We will only know Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus declared “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Let me be clear: there are not many roads to God. There is only a one-way street. Jesus is the only way. That is not a popular statement, but it is a true one. Jesus also said, “If you really knew me, you would know my father as well” (Jn 14:6-7).  Jesus is God. He acts in accordance with the Father. He speaks for the Father (v.10). He is “in the Father, and the Father is in [Him]” (v. 11).

Jesus prayed to His Father, “Now this is eternal life; that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (Jn 17:3). Beloved, I don’t want you to miss this. There is no hope “if [you] ignore such a great salvation” (Heb 2:3). Oh, but if you believe, there is hope and peace and Joy and love. Don’t believe in yourself. Believe in God. Believe in His Son. And you will have eternal life.

The Word and The Way

This morning God sent me to a passage in Jeremiah: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jer 6:16). I put my hands to the keyboard ready to write about ancient paths and rest for our souls and the Spirit said, “Stop. You didn’t finish that verse.” So, I went back. God had more to say: “But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” Oh.

The Spirit said, “Keep reading.” “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’” (v. 17). Now the tone of my devotional has changed completely. Jeremiah is speaking to the Israelites in Jerusalem, the city of God’s holy temple – and the city of rebellion and disobedience from the top down. The “prophets prophesy lies and the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way” (5:31). Jeremiah was called to warn them of the judgment to come if they failed to repent.

Over many years the Lord had repeatedly sent messengers to tell them and show them the right way to live – the way that promised rest, security, and prosperity. But “their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it” (6:10). They refused to listen and “walk in the good way.”

As I’ve meditated on the message from Jeremiah, I keep hearing: “Jesus is the Word and the Way.” The people would not listen to God’s Word, so He sent His Son: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us . . .” He not only brought God’s message of grace and truth, He was God’s message of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). The people would not walk in the way of righteousness. They continually wandered off into apostasy. Jesus told His disciples, “You know the way . . . [because] I AM the Way . . . (Jn 14:4, 6).

Jesus is the Living Word and the Living Way. He doesn’t just show us the path – He promises to live in us and help us to listen and walk in obedience. How gracious and kind He is! Beloved, the Word and the Way is here to help you. He knows the journey and He knows the final destination. You can trust Him to get you Home.

Take Him at His Word

Jesus was in Galilee, His main hub of ministry. He was well-received in the region as many of his miracles took place there. On one occasion, while visiting in Cana, a royal official approached Jesus. His son was sick back home in Capernaum. He traveled some twenty miles to seek out the Lord on his son’s behalf. He pleaded with Jesus to come back with him and heal his child, whom John said was close to death (John 4:47). We will go to great lengths for our kids – and grandkids, won’t we?

Strangely, Jesus seemingly chastised him for his request. “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe” (v. 48). Scholars have jumped on this statement and tried to make it the passage’s main point. The Dad wasn’t trying to start a theological discourse, he just wanted Jesus to make his boy well. He (I imagine rather impatiently) pleads with Jesus, “Sir, come down before my child dies” (v. 49). Ever been that desperate for God to act? Oh, I have. “God, please! You’ve got to do something now!”

Then Jesus responded. “You may go. Your son will live” (v. 50). My first thought would have been, “That’s it? You’re not coming? How are you going to heal him from twenty miles away?” But John said, “The man took Jesus at His word and departed” (v. 50). Wow. This father believed that Jesus could – and would – do what He said. The root of the word John used here meant that the man was convinced that what Jesus said was true. He could rely on the promise: “Your son will live.”

The father’s faith was richly rewarded as his servants met him on the way with the good news that “. . .his boy was living” (v. 51). And wonder of wonders, the boy got better at the exact time that Jesus had declared, “Your son will live.” And so would they all because John said, “. . . he and all his household believed” (v. 53).

What do you suppose God could do with a bunch of people that simply took Him at His Word? That believed when He said, “I AM.” That went when He said, “Go.” That stood still when He said, “Wait.” That trusted when He said, “I will.” That staked everything – in this life and the next – on His name.

I want to be one of those people. How about you, Beloved?