“And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Prayer and Feasting - Day 9
What comes to your mind when you hear the words “eternal life”? Is it an existence that is reserved for believers and will kick-in once we leave this world? Or maybe you think in terms of never-ending life duration.
Wouldn’t it be great if God would publish a Divine Dictionary that we could refer to that would help us to get a handle on some of the ‘churchy words’ that we use but maybe don’t have a clear understanding of. Ironically, this is our lucky day! It just so happens that God has published a best seller (actually ‘the’ Best Seller) the Bible, and in it He has given us the definition for “Eternal Life”.
“And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3 English Standard Version (ESV)
That’s eternal life - "Knowing God!" But we still need to take a full step into what it means to "Know God." In the biblical context ‘to know’ always refers to a personal interactive relationship.
- God, speaking to the nation Israel through the prophet Amos, says:
“You only have I known of all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2 ESV
Now God is not saying that He is unaware of the Canaanites or the Ninevites, but that Israel was the only nation that He had an interactive personal covenant relationship with.
- When Adam knew Eve it was not just ‘head knowledge’.
- When Mary said that she ‘did not know a man’ she was not saying she didn’t know about men, rather that she had not had an intimate relationship with a man.
So as we personally interact with Jesus, as we listen and respond, as we hear and obey, we are experiencing eternal life, here and now. This life is a life of a different kind.
I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” John 10:10b (AMP)
God is good, let's continue studying the word of God, that we would know His heart and Him even more than we do now.
Theme of Prayer for today - Spiritual Depth
Prayer for today - "Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that I would know You more. I want to know You. May I enjoy getting to know You more, reading Your word, appreciating all that You have done. May my faith grow stronger by trusting You more today, than I did yesterday. May I know Your word, so that I may trust You with things that I have been holding back. I love You. In Jesus name. Amen"