We have decided not to plant a garden this year. We have a lot of work to do on the house and in the yard that will take not just our time, but a lot of our energy. Bob is 79 and I’m 72, energy is not as abundant as it once was. Still, I will greatly miss the tomatoes.
There is just something about the flavor of a home-grown tomato that is so totally different from what you can buy in the store. If you have never experienced a home-grown tomato you have no idea what you are missing.
Last Sunday at The Way my message centered on gaining that firsthand, lively, personal experience of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That kind of experience that is more than just knowing about Him or studying theology. I’ve had numerous people tell me (especially on their first visit to church) that they have spent decades studying theology. My response to their declaration of being theological experts is usually to ask them, “tell me how that has influenced your experience with your Savior.”
We must learn about Jesus, and we must have sound theology. That is a given. But it is not enough. Mere information is head knowledge. And while we need head knowledge about spiritual things, head knowledge stops far short of what God wants for our lives. We can see that in Paul prayer for believers in Ephesians 1:17.
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
If you have never had a living, personal, firsthand experience with God, you don’t know what you are missing.
