Personal Jesus
Scripture - Luke 9:18-20In today's passage Jesus asked the disciples two questions of which one was of utter importance. "Who do the crowds say that I am?" In other words, "What are people saying about me on the streets?" The disciples went on to respond by basically telling Jesus, "They are calling You who they think you are." Then He asked, "But who do you say that I am?"
The thing is, our relationship with Jesus has to be personal to us. We can't go by how others identify with Him and adopt their mindsets concerning Jesus, we must know Him for ourselves.
It's important to note, the Bible says in verse eighteen that He was alone praying and His disciples joined Him. Thus when Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God" (v. 20) he was speaking from both personal experience with Jesus and by revelation of Holy Spirit through prayer. This is why prayer is a key component in our relationship with Jesus.
To know Him we must spend time with Him. Just like His disciples we must choose to follow Him, dedicate our lives to Him, listen to and allow Him to teach and train us by example, and mimic His life. When we do, we will know Him for ourselves. No one will be able to tell us otherwise.
The thing is, you can't call someone friend unless you've proven them to be worthy of that title by building a relationship with them. So who do you say Jesus is? Is He your Friend, your Healer, your Confidant, the Lover of your soul? Only until you experience and prove Him for yourself, you won't really be able to identify who He is in your life. You have to make your relationship with Him personal to you.
Journal
- What have your experiences with Jesus revealed to you about who He is in your life?
- In what ways can you build on your experiences with Jesus and draw even closer to Him?
- Each day throughout this challenge you have been encouraged to pray and talking to God about the daily topics. How has your relationship with God been affected through this challenge thus far? Are you experiencing Him in different ways? If so, write your experiences in your journal.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” -John 14:6, HCSB
Comments