Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ.”
Why would the apostle Paul pray such a basic prayer? Surely he knew him already? He certainly knew him far better than us. But he recognized how far he still had to go. And he knew there was a clear difference between knowing about someone, and truly knowing them.
Let me share how I first fell in love (or maybe it was lust!): this beautiful blonde bombshell called Gini sauntered through the playground and I was mesmerized. I started stalking her. I knew where she lived, who her friends were, what she liked, and more. I wanted her to love me in return, but there were two massive obstacles to that happening. Firstly, she was already going out with Randy, the school hunk. How I hated him! And secondly – and maybe more insurmountable still – was the fact that Gini was thirteen, and I… I was five!
I never spoke to Gini. I knew lots about her, but I didn’t know her at all.
Most people have a basic grasp of French. In French, there are two words for the English verb ‘to know’: ‘savoir’ is used for facts, and connaitre for people. In John 8:32, Jesus says: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” You would expect him to use ‘savoir’ in that context, as the truth is surely factual – but no, the truth is a person, Jesus himself, and so he’s talking along the lines of ‘connaitre’ – personal intimate relational knowledge.
That is what God wants for us. The Pharisees had plenty of knowledge about Jesus, but they didn’t know him. Let’s not make the same mistake.
The depth of any relationship is contingent on the quality of time invested. If we give God our crumbs, no wonder we’re struggling. How are you getting on in this area?
Lord, I choose today to seek quality time with you, because I want to go way deeper in my relationship with you. Amen!
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