Knowledge Versus Intimacy

“I want to know Christ…”-Philippians 3:10-

In the Bible we read about a group of religious leaders known as the Pharisees. The Pharisees knew a lot about God. When someone wanted to play Bible Trivial Pursuit, Godopoly, or Bible Baseball, they were the team to beat. They knew about God, but what we discover is they really didn’t know Him. It’s the difference between knowledge and intimacy.
In Matthew 15:8 Jesus describes the Pharisees this way: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.”
That description seems to fit a lot of fans I know. Churches are full of people who go to Bible Studies about Jesus, complete with workbooks and homework. Many preachers refer to their sermons as lessons or lectures, accompanied by outlines where church members can take notes and fill in the blanks. I spent a number of years growing up confusing my knowledge about Jesus for intimacy with Jesus. For example, when I was younger, I could recite all 66 books of the Bible in order from memory (I couldn’t do it now) and not only that but I could say them all in one breath! Don’t try to act like you’re not impressed.
Having knowledge is not the problem. But when you have knowledge without intimacy, you’re not really following Jesus. Like the Pharisees, many people could describe everything they know about Jesus. The truth, though, is that Jesus is not impressed by your knowledge or by your talent. What He really desires is our hearts.

Following Today
Tell Jesus that you want to know Him, not just know about Him. Do some honest self-evaluation: Have you spent more time learning about God than learning to fall in love with Him? Consider reading through the Gospel of John in the next 21 days (just 1 chapter a day), simply focusing on getting to know Jesus.