“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3)
Jesus in indicating in this passage that eternal life is so much more than one’ eternal destination in Heaven. Eternal life does not begin when a believer dies and enters Heaven. Eternal life begins when a person is born again – when he/she puts his/her trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is all about the word “know”.
The word “know” means more than just “having a knowledge about” or “having awareness of.” It includes “knowing by experience.” The Greek word translated “know” is used in Luke 1:34. “Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’” “Know” used in the sense speaks of an intimate experience. God desires for us to know Him – experience Him personally in our lives.
Henry Blackaby, in Experiencing God, gives 7 realities to knowing and experiencing God personally in our daily lives. They are:
- God is always at work around you.
- God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
- God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
- God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
- God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
- You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
- You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.
God wants you to know and experience Him in your daily life. The first thing to knowing Him is spending time listening to Him through His Word and His Spirit. The reason many believers do not experience God working through them is they either do not hear Him or do not experience God working through them is they do not recognize that GOD’S REVELATION TO THEM IS HIS INVITATION FOR THEM TO JOIN HIM IN HIS WORK. I have experienced God in many ways by applying these principles.
Today, look for the activity of Christ in and around you. When you hear His voice or see Him working, be quick to respond to His leading. In doing so, you will know Him more personally through that ministry experience.