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 ere are three ideas to help you learn more about Jesus, this Man who had such an impact on the entire world, and who can have a huge impact on your world as well. Learning More About Jesus
by Eric Elder Have you ever wished you could learn more about Jesus? To really get to know Him, up close and personal? Today, I’d like to give you three ideas for how you can get to know Jesus better, this Man who spoke with such wisdom, who lived with such compassion, and who’s had such an impact on the entire world. As James Allan wrote back in 1926: “He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things usually associated with greatness...Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today Jesus is the central figure of the human race...All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever sailed, all the parliaments that have ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned put together, have not affected the life of mankind on earth as powerfully as that one solitary life.”With Easter just around the corner, I think it’s especially fitting to devote some time to renewing your relationship with Christ. Here are three ideas for how to do that. 1) Learn more about Jesus in the Bible. Four books in the Bible are devoted entirely to the life of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They were written by men who wanted to highlight for you what they, and others living at the time, had seen Jesus do and heard Him say so that you could know the truth about His life, and put your full faith and trust in Him. As John wrote in his book: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).If you don’t have a Bible of your own that’s in a language that’s easy for you to read and understand, you can read one online for free at the Bible Gateway. Or, if you’ve never had a Study Bible, I’d highly recommend getting one for yourself to help you get the most out of what you’re reading, such as the popular NIV or ESV Study Bibles. Here are the links: NIV Study Bible: tinyurl.com/c33z5t 2) Learn more about how Christ has impacted the lives of people living today. I’ve included a number of testimonies on The Ranch website of people whose lives have been changed by the power of the Living Christ. Knowing that Christ is still alive and active in people’s lives today, and in situations just like the ones you and those around you are facing can give you incredible hope and wonderful insight into this Man who continues to change the world. Here’s the link: 3) Learn more about Jesus by walking where He walked! As I mentioned last week, I’m planning a trip to Israel this fall, and I’d love for you to join me! My main goal in putting together this trip is to deepen your love for the Word of God...not only the “Word of God” as found on the pages of the Bible, but also the “Word of God” as found in the person of Jesus Christ, as John described Him: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:1,14)You can learn more about our trip in the P.S. below, but even if you can’t make it, there are still many ways to explore the land where Jesus lived, walked, died and rose again. One that’s particularly well done is a DVD series of the Holy Land by Ray Vander Laan. You can start anywhere in the series, and here’s a link to one that I enjoyed, called, “In the Dust of the Rabbi.” Whatever way you do it, take some time in the coming weeks and months to learn more about Jesus. He not only changed the rest of the world, but He can change your world, too. Let’s pray... Father, thank You for sending Jesus here to earth to show us how to live, and to do so much for us in our lives. I pray that You would help me to learn as much as I can about Him this year, so that I can keep putting more and more of my faith and trust in Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.P.S. And if you’d like to join me this October for a trip to walk where Jesus walked, just click the link below. It’s an 11-day study tour of some of the most famous places in the Bible, including Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. I’ll be traveling with you and leading devotions throughout the trip, looking with you at stories from the Bible in the very places where they took place! To find out more or to make a reservation, go to: Here’s a video you can watch, too, that shows you the highlights of the things we’ll be seeing on our trip as well: |
