Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Matthew 16:13-15
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Jesus cared about whether people could see who He really was… did they really know Him? He especially cared about how those closest to Him saw Him…
It is a big need for all of us to have those closest to us understand us and to know who we really are! We all have a need for ‘intimacy’… someone once defined the word intimacy as ‘into me you see’. Do you see me? Do you know who I really am?
Many marriages struggle because people do not take the time to actually find out ‘who’ they are married to… it starts with a genuine interest in WHO others are… what is their uniqueness, what is their heart, who are they emotionally, who are they deep on the inside? Many are not really interested in discovering all of that about others… they are too wrapped up in themselves to care… this mindset of ‘self-focus’ is a destructive work of the flesh!
Developing a genuine interest in others… especially those close to you is majorly important! What makes them mad, what makes them sad, what makes them glad, why do they react the way they do, what are their values, their sensitivities, and what are their inner needs? Many try to correct, or to change what they do not like in those close to them, but I am not talking about CHANGING the person closest to you, I am talking about UNDERSTANDING them, knowing them and embracing them as they are!
Another word to describe what I am saying is ‘EMPATHY’… The Merriam Webster dictionary defines empathy as, “The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another, of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.”
If we do not take, or make the time to develop ‘intimacy’ or to have genuine ‘empathy’ towards those closest to us and others, we will suffer needless loss in many relationships. There are many causes for the high divorce rate in today’s society… infidelity, money, sexual insensitivities towards spouses, abuse… the list goes on… but I really believe that besides staying spiritually on fire for Jesus, taking the time to genuinely know your spouse is of paramount importance!
Of course, what I am saying applies to many more relationships than our spouses… it applies to EVERY relationship that the Lord brings into our lives!
How do I truly KNOW others?
Jesus gives the answer, right after Peter replies to Jesus’ question… “who do you say that I am?” After Peter’s answer Jesus said in Matthew 16:17, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.” In other words, “You did not discern this with your natural ability, you discerned WHO I really am by REVELATION knowledge from My Father”. The Father gives revelation knowledge through the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him in faith, so with the Father’s help, it is possible to really know others!
Make it a priority to KNOW those who the Lord has placed in your life! As you do your relationships will grow stronger and go further than ever before, in Jesus Name!
In His amazing love, Nick
