A Personal Encounter

A couple of months ago, I got an email from my friend Tiffany's husband Chris. He asked me to clear my calendar so I could go with Tiffany to a Third Day concert as a surprise for her. (As you can imagine, my calendar was cleared in about 5 minutes!)

I knew of Third Day. Their most recent song "Revelation" is played on the radio all the time and has been a real encouragement to me. Third Day also had many other songs that I had heard throughout the years. But the problem was, I honestly couldn't name one of those songs as I was anticipating that concert.

But then at the concert, I realized the most interesting thing. Almost every song they played I could sing along with. I knew the lyrics by heart. I just never knew the band until I had seen them in person.

After the concert, I noticed on the radio how many Third Day songs were played on a daily basis. A lot of them! But this time each time I listened to one, it was different. I knew the band. I had seen them in person. I couldn't mistake one of their songs for another again.

Isn't that the way some of us are with God? As we live our life, God is speaking all around us, but until we have a personal encounter with him, we won't recognize his voice.

We could be able to quote Bible verses and Bible stories, but until we know the author, it's just like any other historical document.

You see, after I saw Third Day in person, their music came alive. I began to see trends in their music and in their lyrics. I gleaned their central message. I saw their passion.

Similarly, after I had a personal experience with Christ, his "lyrics" came alive. His living Word speaks directly to my heart. All because I have had a personal encounter.

(My prayer is that anyone reading this blog has had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. It is absolutely life-changing, both here and eternally. We were born sinful and in desperate need for a Savior. God became flesh through Jesus Christ, and he became the sacrifice necessary for our sins. Because of this sacrifice, we can inherit eternal life. Our responsibility is to believe on Jesus Christ as our Savior and make him Lord of our lives. If you haven't done this, I would love to speak to you more about it!)

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18