Sunday January, 3 2021 Devotional

"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." -‭‭John‬ ‭17:3‬ The Lord Jesus said these words as He prayed for His disciples the night before His crucifixion. He stated then what has become the statement of purpose for Calvary Free Lutheran Church in Mesa, Arizona, two thousand years later: “Knowing the Savior and making Him known.” We aren’t in the business of teaching doctrine and doing good works. We do both of these things, feeding those who need help through our Food Pantry and teaching the Bible in classes all week long, but these are both the result of our real purpose, not the main focus. We are really in the business of getting to know God and of making Him known to others in the place where He has planted us. Knowing Jesus changes our hearts. The more we know Him, the more we want to be like Him and the more like Him we become. His character is reflected in us as we get to know Him more. As we get to know Him, our understanding of Him, our “doctrine” about Him, becomes more accurate. It reflects more clearly Who He is so that we can describe Him to those who are looking for Him. It’s a process, certainly. None of us reflects the character of the Lord perfectly. There’s still a lot of “me” in each one of us, and it shows. But we press on, encouraging one another to know Him more and to make Him known here where we are. Lord Jesus, forgiveness of sin, salvation, eternal life, a home in heaven and the healing and restoration of my soul here and now all come from knowing You. Lord, let me know You better this year. Draw me closer to You and change my heart in the process so that others can see You and get to know You, too. Amen. Pastor Dan Giles