John 4:25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Acts 2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

1 Corinthians 2:2 English Standard Version (ESV) For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

2 Corinthians 2:14 English Standard Version (ESV) But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Ephesians 3:19 English Standard Version (ESV) and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 4:13 English Standard Version (ESV) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Yesterday’s devotional ended with two questions. What do we know and how do we know it?

The verses quoted today answers both questions. We know Christ because we have His Word.

Everything that comes after those two truths is because of those two truths. The mystery of His will is revealed in His Word. We come to know He is love by His Word. We understand His Word changes us in ways that nothing else can. To know Him in His resurrection means to know Him as He is on the throne of heaven, not just as the man who walked perfectly in love.

To know Him as the indwelling Christ is to know Him intimately.

Micah 6:8 English Standard Version (ESV) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

What the Lord requires does not sound like much. Be just, be kind and be humble. That seems like a reasonable request.

Then we join a church and suddenly there is so much to be done. We are told that we need to find our calling, identify our gifts, and serve the Lord and each other. Those issues alone can be difficult to realize, practice and become useful kingdom citizens.

If we ask those who teach and pastor us we might be told that it is not too much to ask considering all the Lord has done for us.

Romans 12:1 King James Version (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Then we are told to make sacrifices. That sounds a little like the old Jewish temple traditions and we now live in the church age. Not to worry, there are plenty of good intentioned believers who will help us understand what that means. The one line I remember the most is: “Giving without measure.”

Then there is the issue of influence. We all want to make a difference.

2 Corinthians 10:15 English Standard Version (ESV)  We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged,

We won’t brag about what others do but don’t mind if our name gets mentioned for a good work.

It may be that we get caught up in our training and we want to prove it worked. What good are talents and gifts if we do not have some measure of success? That thought is not scriptural.

2 Corinthians 10:12 English Standard Version (ESV) Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

What do we understand and how do we understand it?