We’ve been discussing how God is personal. With holidays coming, even if you just talk with friends and family – and especially if you visit - let’s discuss a very special part of God being personal. It’s the most important part, in fact.
My friend Stan is a bit slow, possibly from hurting his head badly on the corner of a table when little. God still uses him. When his nephew Carter was 1, Stan taught him to reply “He Saviour” when Stan asked who Jesus is. Those little seeds helped Carter have faith to trust Jesus to save him once he understood what that meant.
It’s one thing for a person to say words. That’s head knowledge. We must have heart knowledge – complete trust in Jesus to save us from our sins. Let’s look at how personal Jesus is, so we can share that with others more easily.
First, since it’s not head knowledge, it can’t be about what we do. Think about it. If we’re trusting our own works to get us to Heaven, we aren’t trusting in Jesus alone, right? This is why, we should be known by what we believe in and do. Not just by what we don’t’ do. Sure, there are things we choose not to do out of our love for Jesus. But, many things we have liberty to do. It’s just, as Paul says, we shouldn’t let our liberty make others stumble.(1 Cor. 10:23) The key is to ask yourself if something causes you to stumble, takes away from your testimony. And, since Jesus is personal, that means each of us is different.
Did you ever get a traffic ticket? If so, how? Except for Robbie I don’t think any of the youth on this list are old enough to drive. 😊 Seriously, we’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom. 3:23) But God took all the ordinances(laws) we broke and nailed them to the cross. That means He knows what each of us have done, yet He loved us anyway. Not only that, but He knew what each of us would do.
That’s right, as He went to the cross, He knew what you’d do before you were saved, but He also knew the sins you’d commit after you got saved. Thatg doesn’t give us freedom to sin. He is always working in our hearts so we won’t sin. But, He knows we’re human. He knows when we’ll fail Him, yet He still chose to save us.
Only a totally loving God would do this. But also, only a personal God would. Because He cares enough about each person to give them help so they won’t sin, yet also help them pick up the pieces when they do and start anew.
A transcendent God would be above it all, so he couldn’t do this. He would have no need to take care of sin, period. But, even if he just announced “okay, you’re free,” that wouldn’t take care of the fact we still sin. Our old flesh nature is still there. We need God to be personal so He can work with each of us. As individuals.
Because God is personal, He works with each us us in what we need, as long as we listen to Him. As I said, He lets us stray since He gives us free will. But, He keeps trying – especially if we keep praying. There’s another reason why “pray without ceasing” is crucial. We should pray for our own wisdom and guidance as well as others.
Jesus is personal for a reason. There’s a world of sin. We should always be growing. Just making this devotional taught me to pray better for A and those like her, for instance. So she’ll be willing to let Jesus guide her in His perfect wisdom to choose the ways of God and not the ways of the street, which feed the flesh. It’s a daily walk with Jesus.
If you haven’t yet, post this at school and online, make copies, get the word out people can learn to know Jesus personally. Next week – more about how to witness about Him.
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