14. As I grow in my relationship with Jesus, I find that experiencing Him is as essential as learning about Him.

(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.) 

Can you think of a time, or times, when you had a strong sense of God’s presence in your life? How did this shape you?

What role do you think feelings have in our relationship with Jesus?

People often remark how their intuition has helped them and how important it is for us to pay attention to our intuitions. How do you think intuition could be helpful in our life with God?

How would you explain the difference between the longings of our heart and the curiosity of our minds?

How could the longings of our heart join us to Jesus in a way that the curiosity of our minds wouldn’t?

We live in a culture that prioritizes information. Information gives us power; power over our environment, to direct our lives, to acquire the things we want, to control our bodies and more. Churches often reflect culture and so it is not surprising that churches often place a high importance on information. 

But information alone rarely provides us with contentment, joy, peace, or love. These qualities must be experienced. Our spirituality has been given to us so that we can connect with Jesus both through information about Jesus and experiences of Jesus. Many people enjoy learning about Jesus, studying Scriptures, reading books and find that they feel connected to Him through study. But there are just as many people, if not more, who do not connect to Jesus through study. Some find information dry and lifeless. Information is important in our relationship with Jesus but information without experience is not enough. 

A balanced spirituality will include activities that help us learn about Jesus as well as activities that help us experience Jesus. Knowledge and experience are essential in many areas of life. For example, electricians have information about how electricity works but they also have experience of using electricity to connect it to devices that bring good things to us—light, heat, etc. 

When we experience Jesus, we connect to Him in a way that also brings goodness to us; a deeper sense of His presence, an increase of faith in His existence, a joy or a peace that comforts us, and more. It is difficult to describe or predict which spiritual activities might lead to an experience of Jesus, but we can be aided by a sincere desire to encounter Him along with an intentional balance of activities that prioritize information and those that create the space for an experience of God.