2 Timothy 1:12 “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame because I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day”.
Would you know the difference between bombilate and cachinnate? Do you think you would know what a causeuse was if you were sitting on one? It is not critical or vital that we understand what these words mean to live a triumphant and victorious life in Christ Jesus. If you did not realize that to bombilate was to hum or buzz or to cachinnate was to laugh loudly, or that a causeuse was a small sofa for two people, don’t be too hard on yourselves; that’s why they make dictionaries. It is a good thing that we do not have to know every word in the English language to succeed in this life. We sometimes must rely upon the learned knowledge of other people.
There is, however, something that we must know if we expect to spend our eternal life with our precious Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. That is to say that we must know Christ personally, not just to know who he is. Satan knows who He is, but his future is very bleak. We must know Jesus on a level that He knows who we are (James 2:19).
This 21st century we live in has afforded us access to a massive supply of information that was never available to people until now. The only way to live a life that prepares us to stand before God and not be ashamed is a personal relationship and a close walk with Christ Jesus. This is what the apostle Paul was referring to when he wrote in his letter to Timothy, “I know whom I have believed.” As the Apostle Paul was nearing the end of his time on this earth, he knew no distressing doubt, no diminishing assurance in the Lord, but an overwhelming certainty; and the foundation of that certainty stands out in his writings.
It was grounded, not primarily upon what he believed, but upon WHOM he had believed, namely the Lord Christ Jesus himself. Saints of all ages have found in this marvelous text sufficient confidence and trust to fortify them against all the misfortunes of life and to enable them to face death itself, in the beautiful serenity of full confidence in the Lord.
The question before us this day is: Do we personally know the one that went to the Cross of Calvary for us, to justify our sins, or do we only know who He is. We can possess all the knowledge globally, but it will not do us an ounce of good, as far as our eternal life is concerned, if we do not have a close personal relationship with Christ Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment