It’s one thing to know New York City is located in the upper east part of the USA. It’s quite another to know how to maneuver around the city safely and efficiently. The same can be said about Jesus. It’s one thing to know who Jesus is. It is something else to know him on a personal and intimate level.

First John 2:3 says, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” Keeping his commandments is the difference between knowing who Jesus is and knowing Jesus.

I could stop right there by simply telling you to just do it—to just keep his commandments. But we both know I won’t, so let’s take a closer look at how you can live out the words John spoke.

1. Read and study the Bible

I still remember as a kid having “Sword Drills”—racing to look up Bible verses. You know, the Bible is the sword of the spirit (Ephesians 6). While I didn’t learn a lot of deep lessons that come from really studying the Bible from the game, I did learn how to use my Bible, where the books were located, and I learned a lot of verses that are both commonly used and are less so.

We have to spend regular and consistent time in Bible reading and studying in order to know Jesus more personally. It is his life story—both before his birth here on earth and after his death, resurrection, and return to heaven.

In reading and studying the Bible we learn who Jesus is, what he did, what he expects of us and the reason we have to put our hope in him for our eternal existence.

2. Pray

Prayer is communication between us and God through Jesus. When we pray, we are talking to Jesus: sharing our thoughts and concerns, confessing our sins, and asking for those things we desire.

When we pray we should also be listening for Jesus to speak back to us through the Holy Spirit, which is that voice inside us, through the tangible answers we receive, and through the words and actions of others.

An active prayer life is essential for making Jesus personal in your life. He cannot be your friend and the Savior of your life if you do not talk and listen to him on a regular basis.

3. Worship, fellowship and evangelise

Jesus commands us to love one another as he loves us. This cannot happen if we don’t worship and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We cannot know Jesus without having a heart that longs to worship him because of all he has done and still does for us. We cannot love as Jesus loves if we don’t serve one another. We cannot love as Jesus loves if we don’t share the message of salvation with those who don’t know. We cannot love as Jesus loves if we don’t actually do love instead of just talk about it.

4. To know Jesus is to be like Jesus

It is impossible to really get to know Jesus and be unaffected by his power, his amazing grace, and the love he selflessly showers upon us. It is impossible to really get to know Jesus without longing to be like him.

I pray you will get to know Jesus personally and intimately because when you do… when we all do, the world will be a much better place for us all.

~ By Darla Noble

Living By Faith – free eBook Faithworks Centre, Prince Edward Island is a church where people from all walks of life join to grow in faith. It’s not easy to live a life of faith in today’s fast-paced world. That’s why we’ve created a 17-page, 3-part guide to Living By Faith. Learn about how to strengthen your faith, follow Jesus’ command to love and serve others, and understand how love casts out fear. Get your free guide by just entering your email address below!