Not As a Stranger

Have you met Jesus?

Not just His amazing grace toward you, not just His unconditional love for you, or His forgiving mercy all around you. Not just that. Not just those. Not just the gifts and the blessings and the ‘for you’. But Jesus. Have you met Jesus? Where He is not a stranger to you, have you met Him such that you know Him so?

The One Who is the Giver and the Blesser, yes Him. Have you met Him? The One Who is the Sovereign Judge, Omnipotent King over all, and the Creator, yes Him. Have you met Him? The One Who is Love and Joy and Peace. Faithfulness and Gentleness. The One Who is Saviour and Lord, Friend and Father. Have you met Him?

The One Who has chosen you.

(Colossians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 1:4)

Have you met Him? The Way and the Bread of Life and the Light, do you know Him? The Truth and the Lamb of God and the Living Water, have you met Him? Do you know Him?

When you do, you will never be the same again. When you do, life will never have the same hold on you again. Because Jesus changes everything. Past, present and future. He is the Living Hope, the Prince of Peace, the Righteousness of God. And once you’ve met Him, once you’ve allowed Him to love you, and you’ve learned the beauty of surrendering into His arms, the arms of the One Who is Rest and Peace and Joy. Once you’ve met Him, I mean really met Him, you will never be the same again.

For He replaces all shame and fear, all loneliness and despair, all anxiety and wild emotion, with His presence and power. The very presence that was from the beginning. That spoke all of creation into being. The very power that shatters the enemy. That moves every mountain and parts the raging waters. His presence and power fills you (Acts 1:8, Psalm 140:13). It is His promise to you who have met Him and know Him.

Have you met Jesus? Not as a stranger, but as having seen Him, do you know Him? He is not far from you, you need only to seek Him.

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“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us” - Acts 17:26-27 ESV

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end, he will stand upon the earth; and though this body be destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes, and not as a stranger.” - Job 19:25-27