The Simple Gospel

By: Brenda Wieneke 🌸

“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.”

• John 10:14

To love is to know, and to know is to love.

We cannot love what we do not know.

When we use the word love for things like, “I love this book,” “I love this show,” “I love these shoes,” or “I love this food,” it’s because, in some capacity, we know them. We’ve experienced them. We’ve received some form of fulfillment or pleasure from them. And when we encounter them again, we can confidently say that we know them and love them.

But what does it mean to love the Lord?

To love the Lord, we first have to know Him.

We have to know:

• What moves His heart

• What brings Him joy

• What He delights in

• What makes Him smile

• What makes Him grieve

• What makes Him laugh

• What breaks His heart

• How He desires to spend His time

Love always involves an exchange.

And that exchange can either form us or deform us. If we “love” social media and spend most of our time there, what do we often receive in return? Anxiety. Comparison. Restlessness. Mood swings. A subtle erosion of peace. What we love shapes us.

“Lord, I Just Want to Know You More”

Earlier in my faith journey, my biggest prayer was simple:

“Lord, I just want to know You more.”

And that was it.

I prayed those words again and again. But then I would go about my day without intentionally thinking about Him. I wanted intimacy without participation. I wanted closeness without consistency.

It took me time to realize something humbling:

Christ works alongside our cooperation.

If we sit around waiting for something to fall out of the sky, the possibility of that happening is slim (not to put limitations on God). He invites us into relationship and relationship requires response.

All we have to do is take a step, and the Lord will work with each step we take.

What Acting on That Prayer Looked Like

For the Lord to work alongside my prayer, “Lord, I just want to know You more,” I had to act on it.

That meant:

• Consistency in prayer

• Reading His Word and allowing it to transform my life and heart

• Prioritizing the Sacraments and allowing them to take shape in my life

• Taking on Christ’s worldview

• Speaking as He speaks

• Serving as He serves

• Dying to myself

• Allowing His words to pierce my heart

And what I discovered is this: Christ is so selfless.

As we get to know Him, we learn that all of Him comes back to us.

What Moves His Heart is US.

What He delights in is US.

What brings Him joy is US.

What moves His heart is US.

What makes Him smile is US.

What makes Him grieve is US.

What makes Him laugh is US.

How He desires to spend His time is with US.

All that He is reflects back to US. We are His, and He is ours.

He adores every part of us the good and the broken. As sinful as we are, when He looks at us, He sees His own image reflected back. How can we run away when everything about Him leads right back to us? When all that He is draws us toward Himself, it should not be difficult to know and love Him.

Loving Boldly

To love is to know, and to know is to love.

When we proclaim our love for Him, we can do so boldly because we can confidently say that we know our Father’s heart, as much as we are humanly able.

And as we journey with Christ this Lent, let us truly get to know Him.

Prayer

“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

John 10:14–15