Jesus said, “It is written in the prophets, Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." (John 6:45) It seems very appropriate then that the title “disciple,” meaning “taught one,” would be applied to every Christian. As we continue in this course as disciples, we find that regardless of how much knowledge we acquire, there is always more to learn.

The Scriptures are fascinating, but caution is needed not to become overly engrossed with obtaining knowledge for knowledge’s sake. The saying holds true that “It’s not what you know, but who you know” and the “who” we need to know is Jesus. Application of biblical knowledge is only half the equation when it comes to knowing Jesus. We can discover that other half in John 14:21-23:

“He that hath my [Jesus’] commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

When Judas asks how Jesus would reveal Himself to the disciples, Jesus responds, in short, by saying “by moving in with them.“ There is an experiential knowledge that grows between people who live together. My husband and I know each other more than we know anyone else because we see behind the scenes into each other’s lives on a daily basis. In order to live peaceably together, we have to adapt ourselves to each other’s style of living; as a result, many of his habits have become my own. This is also true in our relationship with Jesus. As we live with Him every day, listen to the instruction of His word, talk with Him, and see how He interacts with us, we gradually know Him more and become more like Him.

Are you consciously aware of how often God interacts with you throughout the day? Are you noticing when He answers prayer or provides unexpectedly? Do you notice when He gives you an opportunity to share the Gospel, share a word of encouragement, or meet someone’s practical need? Do you recognize when He places an irksome person in your path to identify your own sin that needs addressed? In all likelihood, these things are happening much more than you realize because through His Spirit in you, Jesus is dwelling with you.

Mere knowledge of the Bible can cause us to have an inflated opinion of ourselves, after all, according to 1 Corinthians 8:1, “knowledge puffeth up.” However, the word of God in combination with experiential knowledge of Jesus will have the opposite effect, causing us to realize our dependence on Him. In Philippians 3:4-10, the Apostle Paul said:

“Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

Paul went from glorying in his self-righteousness to disdaining it. He went from self-exaltation to humbly enduring suffering. Even though Paul had been an expert of the Jewish Law/Scriptures, it wasn’t until he accepted Jesus into His life that true righteousness was imputed to him. Jesus worked throughout Paul’s life to conform him into His own image even to the point of being ready to die for the Gospel.

Paul’s course was a hard one, but he kept his eyes on Jesus. Our courses as disciples also may be difficult, but let it be our prayer, not that the Lord would be with us (because He already IS) but that we would become more aware of His presence in our lives. Let’s pray for the grace to adapt ourselves to Him and be conformed into His image. He is our great reward and there truly is no greater thing than knowing Jesus.

Song recommendation: Knowing You