Knowing Christ in an Over-Stimulated World

The world we live in today is one obviously not conducive to building a solid relationship with Jesus Christ. Not only because of sin and opposition, but possibly even more importantly, the speed of change and distractions now inherent to our generation.

While all of these have existed in the past, the impact I see on our generation as far as it relates to knowing Christ, is in being over-stimulated because of the sheer bombardment of our senses via the ubiquitous media outlets and screens we now have available to us.

In other words, we're always connected, and we don't want to, or believe we can't, disconnect for the type of interaction with Jesus Christ which has meaning and fulfilment to us and for Him.

As news and reporting tends to gravitate largely to the negative or spectacular, it elicits a emotional reaction in us on a consistent basis, which is the reason for identifying it as being over-stimulated.

It's like having children eat sugar all day long with them never coming down from the high as they bounce off the walls. We adults are experiencing that through the media sugar we consume every day, resulting in Christians largely neglecting their relationship with Christ, which must include literal quietness to cultivate and be impacted and changed by that fellowship with Him.

Forget about those people who try to tell you how to know Christ while maintaining a lifestyle which doesn't allow for it, not matter how it is spun.

You can't know or fellowship with your spouse, children, or other believers, unless you take the targeted time to do so, and it's the same with Christ, even more so, because of the need to absolutely be quiet before Him.

Time must be made and committed to on a consistent basis in order to enjoy the gift of Himself that Christ has given us. There are no short cuts to this, and there are no substitutes. We must change our behaviors and possibly, other areas of our lives if we want to participate in eternal life, which Jesus revealed was knowing Him and the Father.

To do that, we must give our time and attention to that. And as for how to do it, it must be done in circumstances where there are no outside or internal stimulants which will choke out the value of being restful and quiet before Him.

The purpose of this article isn't to get into the numerous ways that can be done, but to encourage and admonish you to remember this is the purpose of Jesus Christ in creating us, so that we could enjoy an eternity together in extraordinary fellowship. That's to begin happening while we live on this earth.

Again, work on being restful, peaceful and quiet before the Lord. It will take time, and it will be frustrating at the beginning, as you must learn and develop the discipline of living outside of the stimulation of this world in order to participate now in the eternals with Christ, who lives in heaven and within all true believers.