Knowing Christ in 2011

I love it when the Bible authors reduce godliness into something compact and easy to grasp like the ten commandments, the beatitudes, and the Christian graces (2 Peter 1:5-7 for those not familiar with this one).  Jesus summarized the entire law of God by saying we should love God and love people.  There is certainly a need to examine and follow the entire word of the Lord.  It's just that we so often get overwhelmed and need a focal point.  That was the purpose of today's sermon; to give us focus for the coming year. 

What God desires most is being in relationship with his people  Being in any relationship involves certain standards of behavior and proper treatment of one another.  However, thinking that one will grow closer to another simply by following a list of do's and dont's is bound to fail.  To be a better husband I must focus on knowing my wife better and allowing that knowledge to dictate my speech and actions.  To be a better father I must focus on knowing my children.  To be a better neighbor I must focus on truly knowing my neighbors.

Coming to know God is a daunting task.  He is so . . . well, BIG!  Thankfully, he took the initiative and allowed himself to be known in the person of Jesus.  Growing in our relationship to Jesus moves us from performance based religion to developing a deeper love and appreciation for our Lord.  As our love for him grows we become what the law, in itself, was powerless to create.  By focusing our attention on knowing Christ our Lord we become the reflection of our affection.