Bible Verse of the Day Sunday May 28th, 2023

 Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Fan websites and movie magazines help us discover essential facts about our favorite movie stars, singers, TV personalities, and sports stars. These periodicals and websites inform us where our favorite stars spend their leisure time and provide a photographic record of their daily lives. In some respects, we feel like we know our favorite heroes, but do we? We can tell others about when their birthdays occur, their favorite color, and their pets' names. However, if we were to meet them somewhere, they would not know us from Adam. Jesus responded in our verse today says, "Depart from me. I never knew you."

There are untold millions of people who know who Jesus is, but do they know Jesus? Many have memorized multiple Bible verses about Jesus and understand who He is. However, they don't know Jesus; more importantly, He does not know them. Many claims to know facts about Jesus, and some may attend church regularly. However, knowing Jesus and, more importantly, Jesus knowing us is another story altogether. Jesus outlined the problem in today's verse: Although many claims to have cast out devils and performed miracles in His name, He will say, "I never knew you." 

We sometimes allow ourselves to fade into a false belief that he must pay attention to us since we are doing good work for Christ. However, until we accept Him as our Lord and Savior and surrender our lives, hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to Him, he does not know us (Matthew 7:23). To know Jesus is to enter into a personal relationship with Him. We may appreciate the pain and suffering He went through on the Cross for us (2 Corinthians 5:21); however, until we accept His as our Lord and Savior, He does not know us. The greatest commandment is "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" (Matthew 22:37), and it is difficult to love someone we do not know. The first step to Loving Him is turning our back on our plans and schemes and surrendering to His plan for our lives. Our Christian lives are about knowing more about Jesus as we continue a daily regimen of prayer and God's Holy Word and enjoy daily fellowship with Him.