CREDIT: AHLN on Flickr

Dear Children of God,

All of us know things. We’ve read books, gone to school, learned from friends. But just knowing something isn’t the same as knowing how to use it. For example, a lot of people might know that one uses a jack to lift a car to change a flat tire. But do they know how to use the jack to lift the car to change a flat tire? Just knowing a jack lifts a car doesn’t enable you to use it to do so – unless you know how. “Know-how” is more important than “know.”

What goes for jacks also goes for Jesus. While knowing of Jesus is a good first step in a life of faith, it is nowhere near the end. We see a good example of this when Jesus encounters a demon-possessed man in a synagogue. The demon cries out to Jesus, “What have You to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God.” (Mark 1:24) This demon knows a lot about Jesus … His hometown – Nazareth. His mission – destroy evil. Who He is – God’s Holy One. Good facts to know, but more important is using knowledge to have faith in Jesus and His ability to save you from the eternal effects of the evil one – the sins Satan tempts us into committing and the eternal separation from God Satan hopes to achieve.

Jesus, by His death on the cross destroys the evil one – as His Father in heaven sent Him to do. By destroying the evil one, Jesus destroys his ability to eternally separate us from our heavenly Father – paying the price needed to free us from sin’s power to separate us from God by enabling us to be forgiven. Thus forgiven, every time we sin and confess our sins to God, we’re cleansed, made righteous, and joined with Jesus in the eternal kingdom of God. It’s good to know this so we can trust God as we call on Him in all things.

                                                                                        Your Brother in Christ,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim