Do I Know You?

Today’s Verse:

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? ~John 14:9

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When I am at church, the faces and names of our members and attendees are very familiar to me. However, when I am out of the church environment, my recognition ability is not as good. There have been times when I’ve been shopping at a store or somewhere else outside of the church, a member or attendee that I only see once per week will recognize me and say, “Hi, Pastor!” but I cannot remember at the moment who this person is. I am embarrassed to ask, “I’m sorry, what is your name?” The question Jesus asked Philip and the other disciples was, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?” He was asking, “Why is it that you don’t know Who I am?”

We see a pending CRISIS.

The disciples were saddened that Jesus had announced His imminent death, resurrection, and departure back to Heaven. As far as they were concerned, they were hoping they would spend much more time together on earth. They had a tough time accepting that Jesus would suffer, die, and leave them. Many times, a crisis brings the best and worst out of us. A crisis causes us to see things in a different perspective. We might have a different and incorrect perception of Who Jesus is.

We see a partial COGNIZANCE.

Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father. Philip and the others had not grasped that Jesus and the Father were one. After three years together, the disciples acknowledged they had only a partial idea as to Who Jesus was! This is so true of many of us. We can be around the Bible and even have taken theological classes, and still not have a deeper and meaningful relationship with the Lord. We can be a Christian for many years, and yet our relationship with the Lord could be no different than it was many years before. Could it be we do not recognize the Lord in His works? Could it be we do not recognize the Lord in His power? Could it be the Lord has done great works that we have witnessed, and yet we do not know Him?

We see a pressing CONVICTION.

The question Jesus posed at Philip was very convicting. Let us apply this same question to us. Have we been so long time with the Lord, and yet not know Him? We should be stirred if our spiritual growth has been stunted. We should be stirred if the increments of grace are not evident in our life, as indicated in II Pet. 1:5-8. We should be stirred in our hearts if a trial or suffering in our life has not brought us closer to the Lord. We should be stirred if our life does not show that we have been with Jesus.

We see a prioritized CORRECTION.

Jesus wanted Philip and the others to know Him deeply in a spiritually intimate way. We see all the disciples making a prioritized correction to this deficiency in their lives. In Acts 4, the chief priest and the elders tried to censure Peter and John from further witnessing. In Acts 4:13, they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus, despite being unlearned and ignorant men. Let us say like Paul, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection; the fellowship of his sufferings; being made conformable to his death.” The longer we are saved, the sweeter our fellowship with the Lord should be. The longer we are saved, the more we should know Him in His Person, His power, His presence, and His priority.

Don’t let it be said that you have been saved a long time, but do not know the Lord. Make every daily devotion, church service, and service accomplishment an opportunity to know the Lord in a deeper and fuller relationship.

Have an in-depth God Morning!

Bible Reading Schedule: Deuteronomy 1-2

#Faith #John