Praise God, my friend.

We often talk about knowing Jesus, but John gives us a different way to look at it.

He connects knowing Him with keeping His commands.

That means knowing Jesus is not meant to stay in our heads.

But it has to reach our lives.

Think about how this works with anyone we genuinely know.

The more time we spend with someone, the more we learn about them.

We learn about their values, what makes them happy, and what they cannot stand.

And if that person matters to us, what we learn about them starts affecting the way we treat them.

John is pointing us towards something similar in our relationship with Jesus.

If we say we know Him, His words should matter to us.

And I’m pretty sure John doesn't mean only the easy ones in that passage.

So, if Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet,” is a verse we love, the other parts of Scripture cannot be pushed aside when they challenge us.

Both come from the same God.

Therefore, when Scripture tells us something we don't like, it shouldn’t become less true because it is hard to follow.

The question then becomes very simple, my friend.

When God's Word tells us something we don't want to hear, what do we do with it?

Do we change the way we live, or do we find a way around it?

Because knowing Jesus also means taking His words seriously.

And John ends this passage by saying, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

So instead of looking for another verse that makes us feel good, let's take one verse that challenges us and actually do what it says.

That is what the word of God is asking us to do.

May His will be done.

We don’t know who needs to see the above post, but God does, my friend.

So let us share it with a prayer.

Let’s Pray

Dear gracious heavenly Father,

I come to You with my friend who is reading this. Please help us not only to know Your Word, but to live by it.

When Your Word comforts us, help us receive it with thankful hearts.

Help us grow closer to Jesus and let our lives reflect what we say we believe.

Give us the strength to follow Him even when obedience is not easy.

And Lord, as we share this above post, please let it reach someone who needs to hear these words today.

Use this simple message to speak to their heart, draw them closer to You, and help them take one step of obedience.

May everything we share on social media point people back to Jesus and bring glory to Your name.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.