This last Sunday at New Life, we saw the occasion on which Jesus was rejected by his own hometown. These were the very people who saw Jesus grow up; the people who knew him best. They knew all about his abilities, wisdom, miracles, and background, yet none of that knowledge led them to faith. It taught us that there's a huge difference between being a follower of Jesus and knowing about Jesus.
Knowing about Jesus doesn't necessarily lead to faith. You can know the Bible. You can know Christian theology. You can know all the doctrines (And all the hefty doctrinal terms). But if your knowledge only stays in your head and never reaches your heart, something's missing.
Don't get me wrong, knowledge is good! It informs our faith. But knowledge on its own is not faith. At the end of the day, faith is how you live as you follow Jesus. So here's a question I frequently raise: How is all your knowledge of Jesus and his Word changing the way you live? Changing your relationships? Changing how you respond to people? Changing how you respond to circumstances? This week, spend some time asking God to give you a view of Jesus that goes beyond information. Ask God to give you a view of Jesus that leads to transformation, that your life would reflect his life.
Scripture for Meditation
"Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." (1 John 2:6)
Prayer
Father in heaven, I don't want to just know about you, I want to emulate you. Help me to see your Son in a way that empowers me to live like him daily, so that everyone around me may see him clearly. Amen.