I love reading biographies. Each one presents a personal window into a specific time period. They present history from a human point of view. Most often, they’re very inspiring.
Reading of Abraham Lincoln’s persistence through numerous political defeats inspires us to persevere through trials.
Our dreams don’t seem so unreachable when we read of the repeated rejections Walt Disney experienced in his career.
George Mueller, a man who cared for more than 10,000 orphans through God’s miraculous provision, inspires us to be people of great faith.
And we’re deeply moved and challenged by the incredible strength of a young girl named Anne Frank as she lived amidst the horrors of war and the Holocaust.
While such biographies inspire us, there is one historical figure whose biography takes us beyond inspiration. Reading and learning about him with the purpose of accurately and intimately knowing him will not only inspire us, but, in a very literal sense, it will transform us. This man’s name is Jesus.
Consider what God’s Word says:
“All of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continue to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor, (going) from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
When we read the Word of God and behold Jesus in it, God changes, transforms, recreates and molds us into His very own image. He takes us from one degree of glory to another, making us more and more like Jesus.
Oh, that we would realize the profound nature of this promise! It’s the way God has chosen to work. John 17:3 says it this way:
Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
Eternal life began at salvation. We experience the fullness of it now as we seek Jesus.
Meditating on, internalizing and obeying the Word of God causes the One called the Word of God (JESUS!) to manifest more fully in our lives. As we read about and behold the love of Jesus, we’ll start loving others more like Jesus. As we witness through the written Word the compassion and mercy of Jesus, we’ll become more compassionate and merciful. We won’t simply imitate Jesus, but through God’s supernatural power, we’ll become like Jesus.
Let this be our great goal: that in this world we would be like Him (1 John 4:17). The fact that this is possible may be the #1 thing Satan doesn’t want you to know. So whether though distraction, apathy or making you offended with Jesus, he fights diligently against you knowing Jesus. Don’t let him win. Knowing Jesus is one of our greatest privileges. It produces profound life change and should be our greatest pursuit. It’s Way #13 of 52 Ways to Glorify God:
Take time each day to intimately know Jesus.
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