LIKE or KNOW

Facebook is a popular social media website allowing users to experience a sense of community online.  About 1 billion people from all over the world log-on daily and share stories, pictures and interesting facts about themselves among their cyber world of friends.   You can find vacation pictures, graduation news, music, hobbies, classifieds and more.  Each person carefully crafts a personal profile page showcasing him or herself to other users.  These pages represent what each person is known for, or perhaps more accurately, what he or she wants to be known for.  In essence, these pages are the “likes” about each user. 

Each one of us lives a life in which we want to be known or “liked” for certain things.  Maybe you want to be “liked” as a good mother or father, a good spouse, a hard worker, a good athlete, a faithful volunteer or a prayer warrior.  All these things, in and of themselves, are not bad.  The problem comes when we start caring about what we are “liked” for more than we care about who we know. 

Knowing Jesus Christ and being a Christ-follower is far more important than any “liked” reputation you may be seeking to create for yourself.  Saul (Paul) understood this better than anyone.  He was extremely educated, a devoted and reliable Pharisee.  He was feared by those of The Way (Christians) and assaulted them with tremendous vigor.  While adding to the reputation of his name in pursuit of Christ-followers Saul unexpectedly met Jesus.  All he once held dear he left behind because of his encounter with Jesus. He left his entire world, his respected position, his authority, his power, his social status even his name all for the sake of knowing: Christ Jesus. “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)
 
What about you?  Where is your “like” in life?  Who do you know? Do you care more about what people “like” about you or do you care to “know” a nurturing, deeper growing relationship with the crucified Savior?

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