The only way to love, I mean truly love, a person is to get to know them. We can admire or respect from afar, but to deeply love, we must know someone. And as we understand their heart, we love who they are at their very core.
On this journey of loving Jesus, I must know Him. And the more I know, the more I love. There will always be more to discover about Him. There will always be more to love in Him.
I am reading the book of John again. It is the story of Jesus and His time on earth. It shows His heart, His character, His love. And every time I read it I find something new and amazing. And every time I fall a little more in love with Him.
Today I was reading chapter one. I concentrated on the first eighteen verses. Even in that short passage, there was so much to see. There are probably a thousand things we could glean from these verses, but here’s what struck me today. He left heaven to come and be part of the world that He Himself had created. He joined His creation and they didn’t even recognize Him as their creator (v. 10).
This is the analogy that came to me – a renowned artist, admired by millions, comes to a gallery where all of his pieces of art are displayed. He gives up the life that he knew before in a beautiful land where his creativity flowed freely and where there were no boundaries on what he could do, and comes to live in this gallery – a mere shadow of what he has left. Pictures of him are hanging next to each frame containing his work. But people who come and admire the art and roam through the gallery oohing and awing do not recognize the man standing among them – the man responsible for all that they enjoy in this place. They see his work but don’t see Him. It’s tragic. He has come to introduce himself to them, to give them a deeper understanding of who he is and the heart behind the art, but they don’t see him. And without seeing him, they will never know him and his great heart.
Verse 18 says “No one has ever seen God, but…the only Son…has made Him known.” That’s the whole reason that Jesus came – to draw people to the heart of God. The book of John helps us see that heart through the life of Jesus. I want to look closer. I want to see better. I want to know and love Him more….
