Know Jesus

There used to be a catchy phrase in the 70's - No Jesus No Peace, Know Jesus Know Peace.  Eight words of absolute truth with a promise attached, stuck to the back of a car on a bumper sticker. While the words were clever and novel, their meaning was/is earth shaking.
After being a Christian for almost 6 decades, knowing Jesus seems just as new a venture today as it ever was.  He is as fresh as the new mercies He offers us every day.  His sacrificial love, unfailing forgiveness, and eternal promises are for all who come to know Him as Savior - past, present, and future.  Jesus was, Jesus is, Jesus will be.  Hallelujah.
Scripture tells us that His works could not be held in books if they filled the earth.  This Jesus is worth knowing.
John 21:25  Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. 
So, what does it mean to really know Jesus? Have you investigated how He treated others - from the passerby to His closest twelve?
In what ways did He love His Father? mother? brothers?
How did He respond to those that attacked Him on all kinds of subjects?
We know from Acts 10:38 that He went about doing good. He never sinned. Can we know such a Man?
1 John 5:20  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 
Jesus came to be the final sacrificial Lamb that we might come to the Father.  He died that we might know Him. He invites us to seek Him, discover Him, and rediscover Him again tomorrow and the day after that.
If books cannot contain all that He has done, then we will never come to the end of our searching.  There will always be more to know...and more and then even more. We will never come to the end of discovering Who He is.
Someday, each of us will singularly stand before Christ in judgment. He already knows us intimately.  How well will we know Him then, only to eagerly learn more of Him for eternity?  Seek to know Jesus..as the Rock that stands strong in unsteady times, as the Advocate in adverse conditions, as the True Friend that never fails to encourage, as the quiet Voice that calls us to be still and know, as Savior and returning King, as your only Hope. You have His ear. Draw near and know Jesus.
...We may know Him Who is true...

Sometimes I Must Run Aground

Acts 27:25-26  "So take heart, men, (Paul speaking) for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island."

Paul was desperate for Rome when he ran aground. Do you ever run aground, especially while doing your best to get things done or help someone?  Me too.  I try hard to be focused and do a few things well instead of spreading myself too thin for anyone's good.  But what do I do when my every effort seems unprofitable and every direction yields a U turn?  Am I desperate in my quest to please the Lord as Paul was? Am I just spinning my wheels? And where is the merit in continuing to bail water from a sinking ship? (Not all my 'ships' are sinking, but some have holes in their hulls for sure.)

When our greatest efforts are thwarted by outside influences, how do we maintain a peaceful composure?  I am not talking about optional endeavors, but true responsibilities. (You know - the ones you used to run from.)  We all have them - not just work, household chores, and errands, but caring for others who need real help in getting through their days. Why isn't it easy to do the right thing all the time?

It is then that I am reminded that God is sovereign over all.  He sees us, along with our weakest efforts to please Him or the biggest sacrifice we can manage in order to bring Him glory.  He also sees our attitudes.  God knows and numbers our days here. We are on a journey, too, like Paul.

In this life even our best attempts will not always go as planned or be immune from roadblocks and hindrances.  These obstructions - big and small - are designed by God for our good even if we feel like failures for a little while.

The key is not to quit, but to press on in the face of broken expectations or delays in reaching the end of our lists of to do's.  There will always be another list tomorrow. 

Sometimes we must run aground as Paul did.  If you continue reading in Acts, you will see that Paul ministered to many on that island and he was ministered to in return.  He worked wherever the Lord placed him.  He took advantage of the wreck God designed for his good...and no one died.