“That which . . we have heard . . seen . . touched.” 1 John 1:1 NIV.
The spiritual experience of others is no adequate substitute for your own.
There are two things I notice about people’s lives today; most lives are busy, therefore isolated to varying degrees. I think the former is likely to be the origin of the latter. People don’t have enough time for much other than their crowded schedules, therefore lacking energy for meaningful fellowship or spiritual community. Tiredness and loneliness of soul are the effects. God created you for spiritual and personal community, establishing the Sabbath principle for its accommodation. The principle of Sabbath sustains a rhythm of pace and peace that allow your soul to discover refreshing and rest in God’s presence and others’ company.
You can’t really know anyone from a distance. You may have much information about them from what others know or report of them, but a real relationship requires personal interaction and first hand knowledge. Do not be content with a second-hand acquaintance with God. Your everyday experience with God must always be “up close and personal.” Settle for less at your own loss. John, the once fiery and competitive disciple of Jesus – once willing to call fire down from Heaven on an occasion and on another pressing Jesus for His promise of prominence at His right hand – changed incrementally as he walked alongside Jesus and received His teaching.
When John’s experience with Jesus became “up close and personal,” his natural temperament altered as a result, as yours can be. John described this process for himself and others as: “That which . . we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” 1 John 1:1 NIV. Hearing, seeing, touching – no one does that for you; that’s personal, even individual. Peter was witness to the same, “We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16-19 NKJV. Imagine; eyewitnesses of His majesty! Today, will you open your heart to be enraptured by His unrivaled majesty?
The spiritual experience of others can never be an adequate substitute for your own. You can learn from theirs, even be inspired by theirs, but your experience of God must be personal in order to be life-changing. “We all . . beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image [in ever increasing shades of splendor], by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV/JBPhillips. God has even more for you than salvation.
As glorious and transformative as forgiveness and redemption is, your primary encounter with the Savior is the bare minimum of spiritual experience, permitting your initial entrance into fellowship with God. Without that introduction, you remain outside the Kingdom of God, apart from relationship with Him or His Son. Only then can your new life develop to maturity. “Now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1-2 NIV. You will be like Him! Every day, you can experience more of God, a growing fullness, “new every morning!” The process may seem incremental to you, but the spiritual maturity that results is fundamental. See Ephesians 4:13-15 NKJV. Now, off together on the adventure of a lifetime!
My prayer for you today is that you will experience God for yourself and know Him more fully.