Made for More: 30 Days of Experiencing More Life, Love, and FreedomSample

Day 18: Ginosko: Experiencing Love

The Greek word for "know" is—ginosko—the term speaks of “experiential knowledge.” It’s not just head knowledge or memorization; it’s the kind of knowing that comes from living. It’s the difference between reading about how to play a violin… and actually picking one up and learning how to play it. It’s knowing from the outside in.

It’s one thing to know, in theory, that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s another thing to be caught outside in the bitter cold, skin stinging, breath visible, shivering in your bones. Suddenly, you know in a different way. That’s ginosko—when truth becomes real, personal, and powerfully felt. When it moves from the intellect to the heart and becomes a truth and reality that is now part of our story.

That’s when truth starts to do what it was meant to do—set us free.

If wounding moments are powerful experiences, a ginosko knowing that crashes in at a moment, imbedding lies in our hearts, then moments of God’s healing, redemption, and restoration also have their power to transform our lives for the good.

In the New Testament, ginosko shows up often. It’s the word Jesus uses in John 10 to describe His relationship with the Father—and the kind of relationship He offers to us with Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Not distant, not formal. Relational. Intimate. Real.

It’s the same word used in the Old Testament when translated into Greek—like in Genesis 4:1, where “Adam knew [ginosko] his wife.” The word carries the weight of connection, of intimacy, of deeply personal encounter.

The apostle John understood this better than most. He called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved”—not out of arrogance, or something he made up, but because he knew Jesus loved him. John walked with Him, talked with Him, leaned against Him at meals. And John uses ginosko more than 75 times in his Gospel. Why? Because for John, Jesus wasn’t just a theological concept. He was the way, the truth, and the life—not just in belief, but in experience that led to more belief.

And here’s the thing: until we experience Jesus as that—the way, the truth, the life, the lover of our souls, the king of our hearts—other things can and have and will shape us more. We’ll carry other kinds of “knowing”—unloving moments that lead to false understandings of the experiences that leave us feeling unworthy, unseen, or unloved. But those are the very moments, the Trinity is after and wants to enter with us and heal.

He doesn’t just want you to know about His love. He wants you to know it experientially—deep in your bones.

Friend, take heart. You’re here. And He is coming after you.

You are His beloved son or daughter. You are on His heart and in His sights. He’s pursuing your restoration with fierce compassion. And He wants to awaken you to your glory and your calling—not only for your sake, but so you can join Him in helping recover the hearts of others too.

Let Him meet you in your story. Let truth become more than something you believe—let it become something you know.

As you reflect on all this with God today, consider asking Him:

Jesus, I invite you to reveal to my heart, how you’ve been loving me, sustaining me, providing for me what I deeply long for and need.

Holy Spirit, what experiences are you arranging for me to know love in this "ginosko" way?

Father, is there one phrase or sentence that feels like it’s just for me today? Would You help me hear it clearly and understand why it matters?