S196P2 – Growth spurts: knowing Christ
2 Pet. 3:17-18a
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It is strange to think that we are such good friends now because we did not start out that way. When I first met him, I thought he was proud and arrogant. We both were starting out in our relationships with Jesus Christ, and we both have come a long way since then. At that time, I really had not known him much, but I thought I knew enough to judge his character. Eventually, I started to spend more time with him because of our mutual friends. It did not take long for the two of us to discover that we actually got along really well, and now he is one of the very few people from those days who I still count as closer than a brother. All things considered, the only real difference between then and now is that I allowed myself to grow to know him.
To grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ means several things. One way we can increase our knowledge is simply to learn factual things about him. Certainly a big part of our spiritual development is learning about his life and what that means for us today. Another way for us to increase our knowledge of Christ is to grow in our relationship with him. This takes us from knowing of Jesus to knowing him personally. This is the same way people come to know each other in relationship, through conversation and interaction. When we say we have knowledge of Jesus in this way what we mean is that we know his heart, his character, and even his way of thinking. Knowing Jesus like this is how we come to understand the perfect will of God.
It is nothing short of incredible that our Lord and Savior would want to grow close in relationship with us. He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, yet He wants us to know the deepest parts of him. The goal is that we come to a true understanding of his heart so that we instinctively can model his character in our own lives. He has no desire for us to know him casually or superficially. This is a truly deep relationship God makes available for us. Let us be wise enough to accept the invitation and grow to know more of Christ daily. Father, give us a genuine desire to grow in relationship with You, your Spirit, and your Son, that we would come to know You more deeply each day.