Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
God Wants to Be Experienced
There should be no question for believers that God wants to be experienced. He is not satisfied with us only knowing about Him through Bible memorization, devout obedience, and sacrifice. God wants intimacy with us. He wants us to take Him and become one with Him. This is the mystery of the Old Testament – God wants to be in you (Colossians 1:27).
The mystery of marriage is man to leave his father and mother and become united with his wife and the two become one flesh. This is followed by Paul saying that this represents Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). We are the body of Christ. We are to be intimately connected to God.
Rules Hinder Our Connection with God
I feel the conviction to write this because too many of us, me included, want to put rules around our Christianity. Rules are easy to follow. They help set expectations. There is something comforting about rules. However God is not a vending machine where you put your quarter in to get a gum ball. He moves in unexpected ways.
And we are to be like God. Our ways should be anything but predictable. We are following a God who wants to be known and seems to wear His heart on His sleeve. He is capable of the happiest of joys and the saddest of heartaches, and He invites us to feel these with Him. To fully know the heart of God we have to feel what He feels. We need to allow our hearts to beat to the rhythm of His heart.
One of the best resources that I have found about this is Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God. Use these links to get the personal workbook, leaders kits, or the daily devotional.
Taste and See That the Lord is Good
The life of the Christian is not in what we do or don’t do. The life of the Christian is to know Christ (Psalm 46:10). We are invited to draw near to God (James 4:8).
God never wanted to be distant from us. In the beginning, He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. When they sinned, He made a way for them to continue to connect with Him. Jesus came to bring us back to God (1 Peter 3:18).
Psalm 139 asks us where can we go from God’s Spirit… where can we flee from God’s presence? God is not distant because we couldn’t avoid God even if we tried. He is here with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). God is here. He loves us. He wants us to experience Him.
Let’s taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. – Philippians 3:10
I really like the first passage you mentioned. God is greater than anyone can imagine and He calls us to “taste and see” that He is good. Great thoughts and reminder.
Dear Dan,
Thanks for the encouragement. This idea of God wanting to be experienced has been a big theme for me for the last 10 years. HE is good! All the time.
I hope that you are doing well.
Blessings,
Kevin
i’ve always wanted the idea of being one with Christ. i like your explanation and example of marriage. i am someone who understands the power of prayer and i like to pray. But i ‘d like to ask
Just one question that is a certain level in our spiritual level where devil will no longer
disturb our lives?.
Jackie,
Thank you for your encouragement. The way I look at life is based on John 10:10. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus has come that we may have life and life to the full. Everything that happens to us will be used by God to draw us to Himself and make us to be the full person He created. BUT, the devil will also try to use those same things to draw us away from God and move us away from who we are created to be. This is an on-going battle. But, the more we lean into listening to God, the less we will hear the devil’s distractions. There are seasons where this is easier to do than others. But God can get you through it and what He has for you is better. Allow others to help you. Fighting the devil is always harder by yourself.
Hope that helps. You can do this.
Blessings,
Kevin