Imagine you receive a special notice in the mail, you have been invited to a special car sale: All brand new cars, any make or model, are 50% off! Wow! You just needed a new car, as the one you have is bit by bit falling apart (you probably know the feeling!). Now you wonder if there is any catch. You read over the whole invitation carefully. No catches are mentioned. In fact the letter gives you the option to share this good news with your closest friends. They are welcome too!

What would you do? Would you keep this to yourself, buy a brand new car to you liking, and brag about it? Or would you share this once-in-a-lifetime deal with all of your friends? Doesn’t Fred need a new car as well? And what about poor Georgia who keeps her right-door shut with a rope? Wouldn’t they benefit by this deal as well?

I can imagine you would be on the phone for a long time, excited to share this opportunity with all of your friends!

This sounds quite similar to the time you fell head over heels in love with the most gorgeous and fun-filled person you ever met (at least at the time you thought so!). Did you keep this to yourself? You would have had a hard time to do so, as your whole demeanor was demonstrating a radiance that hadn’t been there before! In fact even your language would have had a hard time hiding the fact that the only thing you were able to think and dream about was your beloved one.

Getting to know Jesus is an experience far beyond a 50% car sale or even falling in love with the most incredible person in the whole wide world! You can’t help but share with others what you have discovered. Your whole demeanor is proof that you have met someone that changed your world upside down! The consequences of your encounter with God are unbelievable and constant: inner peace, joy (even though you may be in the midst of heavy trials) and filled with love directed not only towards your new-found Friend, but also towards every human being. Didn’t Jesus die for each one of them? What is important to God becomes important to you. Developing this kind of relationship is far beyond this world. You have found a Friend who is all-powerful and who is eager to help you out in all of your needs. Matt 28:20 “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This study is not a “how-to” manual, but a map pointing you to the right direction of how to getting to know God on a personal level. A how-to book is quite ineffective when trying to find directions of how to reach your destination. However, a map will help anyone to locate his/her position in relation to where he/she needs to go.

May this study be a blessing to you and may you discover the wonderful consequences of getting to know the One who really cares for you.

“Lord, I come to you empty-handed. How often have I been disappointed by those who call themselves my friends. I am tired to rely solely on my own efforts and on my circumstances. I am so confused sometimes and have often made big mistakes. I come to you, hungering to getting to know you better. Help me to discover you and find out how desperate you are to become my friend. Thank you Lord, for reaching out to me. I am looking forward to become your friend and to have a close relationship with You.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen”

Part 2