How well do you know Christ? Are you still at the bottom rung of the ladder when it comes to knowing Christ? You have taken the step of faith and placed your trust in Christ alone for salvation. But are you still at the entry or acceptance level? Have you not climbed to another rung in your inseparable relationship with Him? You know Christ but how much better do you know Him today than you did when you first trusted Him?

Speaking of Christ, Paul wrote these words after he was saved:

 … that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Philippians 3:10

A healthy friendship deepens over time and you understand your friend better with every passing year. You boast of your relationship.  “I can read him like a book. I usually know what he is thinking before he ever says a word.” You get to know a friend by spending time together. You know what he likes and what he dislikes. You get to know your friend by watching him in situations and seeing his reactions and responses. Without deliberately setting out to study your friend, you get to know his pulse. Somehow your relationship grows and matures with the passing of time. The same can be said in a healthy marriage.

On a secular level, there are people who fall in love with a particular author. They devour every book the author ever wrote. They carefully study their writings and look for nuances and uniqueness. They retrace their steps – walking through the same forests and leaving footprints in the same sand as the author. They try to experience the author at many different levels.

Do I have a voracious appetite to discover more in the Word of God about Christ? What about you? Are you getting to know Christ better? As you read your Bible, do you ask the Lord to further reveal Christ to you and to help you see Him through the many windows of the Bible? Do you read and re-read the four Gospels? When you are reading in the Old Testament, are you looking for Christ in prophecy or by way of pictures or types?

Here’s an example. You could read the story of David and Goliath and just treat it as a great story. And that it is! But others read it and see Christ in the story. Why? Because they’re looking for Christ in the Scriptures. Jesse the father sent his son on a mission to benefit his brothers. Does that ring any bells about another Father sending His Son? David was appalled at how the enemy Goliath could frighten the people and defy God. Can you think of Another One who came to tackle a greater enemy than Goliath? David’s brothers belittled and mocked David as they saw him contemplating the defeat of Goliath. Do you know anyone else who was mocked? Despite the mocking, David moved forward alone into the valley to fight Goliath? Does that make you think of One who went forward, all alone, to fight the greatest battle of all times over Satan, sin and death and Hell?

Are you actively looking for pictures, types, figures and glimpses of Christ throughout your Bible? Of course, we are not talking about an overly active imagination where one must work hard to imagine they see something of Christ – resulting in a forced and fanciful convoluted parallel.

But as we prayerfully and thoughtfully read the Word of God thoughts of Christ will flood our souls. If I am not seeing more and more of Christ in the Scriptures and getting to know Him better with each passing year – I am only fooling myself if I think I am maturing as a believer and growing stronger. Our strength comes from a closer walk with the Lord and through increasing intimacy with Christ.

Ada Ruth Habershon died at age 57. She left behind her extensive writings, including books and poems filled with her own meditations on Christ as seen through pictures and types in the Old Testament.

I am glad you are a subscriber to these Bible Bites – food for thought. But I also encourage you to subscribe to Dr. A.J. Higgins’ regular Monday Meditations. The weekly email will give you a rich meditation on Christ and deepen your appreciation of Him throughout the week.

As we go about our day today, may our prayer be that thoughts of Christ will penetrate the deepest parts of our being.  Oh to be immersed and saturated in the loveliness of His Person!

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

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