Who is Jesus? Knowing Jesus vs. Having a Relationship with Him

Verses:

'If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. '

Romans 10:9

'You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. '

James 2:19

Devotional:

In Houston, Texas, there is a professional football team known as the Houston Texans. The Texans' quarterback is a man named C.J. Stroud. I can tell you many facts about who C.J. is. I can tell you about his completion rate, how many yards he throws per game on average, and if he threw any interceptions at a specific game.

In fact, you could look these things up for yourself on the internet and see the exact same information that I am looking at right now. However, if I were to go to high five him as if I knew him, he would look at me like I had lost my mind. “I have no idea who you are,” he would say. He would be right because we have no relationship whatsoever. I know about him, but I don't know him. There is a difference.

You see, in the same way, just because someone may read facts about Jesus in the Bible, it doesn’t mean they have a relationship with Him. Knowing Who Jesus is by just reading the Bible, or going to church, does not mean we have an actual relationship with Him.

Reflect:
Romans 10:9 clearly says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Think back to the moment you were saved. Can you remember the time and place it occurred? When you look back to that moment you can have confidence that you are saved, and at one point started that relationship with Jesus. Maybe, on the flip side, you are realizing now that you may know about Jesus but don't have a relationship with Him yet. You thought that you believed and that was the end of it. James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

Respond:
So where do we go from here? If you haven’t made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, let that relationship begin today. Romans 10:9 shows us how: confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. If you started that relationship with Him today, or many years ago, it is going to take work on your end getting to know Him more and more. You are already doing a great job by diving into these devotionals. Don’t be someone who thinks they are friends with a famous athlete just because you know some things about them. Don't be someone who thinks they are a follower of Jesus because they know things about Jesus. Being saved means you have accepted a vibrant relationship with Jesus and you can work on that relationship every day by talking to God through prayer, reading His word to get to know Him better, and worshiping Him with your words and actions.

Pray:
Lord, thank You for today. I want to desperately have a deeper relationship with You! I want to know You more and truly grow in Your Word to be a better follower of You, Jesus. I love You and can’t wait to grow more in my relationship with You. In Jesus' name, amen.