Check out the featured post and read more here: https://www.ibelieve.com/devotionals/ibelieve-truth-a-devotional-for-women/the-intimacy-of-christ.html
“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11, NLT).
I met Jesus when I was eight years old. Unlike miraculous transformation stories, my greatest testimonies wouldn’t come until much later in life. Knowing Jesus was fun, exhilarating, and passionate. I was obsessed with Vacation Bible School, singing on the Worship Team, and helping my mom teach Sunday School. I prayed, and my prayers were always answered. But by the time I reached High School, I learned that knowing Christ intimately didn’t just include life’s highlight reels, but behind-the-scenes road construction, too.
I’m embarrassed to write this, but following Jesus became less about love and more about laws. You’d be shocked to know that while I loved the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength (and still do), I didn’t realize cultivating intimacy with my Creator required more than saying: “I love Jesus.” My faith wasn’t shallow, but it was maturing. Over time, I learned the importance of reading my Bible and soaking in God’s Word. I learned that if I wanted to experience closeness with Jesus, I couldn’t do all the talking—I also needed to listen. I learned how to meditate and hear His voice. I learned how to live in freedom and not bondage. But ultimately, I learned that if I wanted to know Christ fully, I had to be willing to go all in.
As a little girl, “going all in” was easy and simple. I was head over heels in love with Jesus. But when the problems and struggles of this life started to seep in, I started to see faith in a new light. My relationship with Jesus wasn’t just something fun, it was transformative. It was less about doing and more about being. My relationship with Jesus wasn’t just a part of my life, it was the whole of it. My relationship with Jesus wasn’t optional, it was a necessary lifeline. And it still is.
