Know

Hi, friends! Today I'd like to share with you one of my favorite quotes of all time: 

Mission:

-to know Him 

-to make Him known

It's so simple, yet so profound: our whole lives revolve around these two things: falling in love with the Creator of the universe who died to save us, and telling everyone we meet about this God who loves us so much. 

To Know Him

How can we make known someone we don't first know?

Something God has been impressing on my heart lately is the importance of getting to know Him. Many people, if you asked them if they know God, would say yes. But perhaps for some, they merely know of  Him, rather than truly knowing Him. 

For example, let's say Peter and Sallie are engaged to be married. In their free time, Peter plays basketball and Sallie goes shopping. They never spend any time together, only talk to each other when they have to, and one seldom thinks of the other. When they get married, will they really know each other? No! They haven't cultivated a relationship- they will be married in name only, strangers to one another.

Yet how often do we treat God the same way? We only talk to Him when we need something, don't let Him into our daily lives, and conduct ourselves as if He isn't there beside us. And yet, we call ourselves Christians, looking forward to the day Christ will come to bring His bride -us- home! But we don't really know the One we are giving ourselves to forever!

I'm speaking to myself here. Though I'd like to think that my relationship with God is really good, if I take an honest look at myself, sometimes I treat God like a vending machine- thinking if I do the right things, say the right words, I'll get the right answers and the comfort I desire. But He is so much more than this!! He doesn't fit into an electronic box. God is bigger than my idea of Him. God is better than my wildest dreams.

"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." Psalm 27:4

This verse captures the desire to know God. This is our prayer.

God, help me to earnestly seek You, to dwell in Your presence every moment of every day, to behold Your beauty, Your character, to not be afraid to ask You questions, to share what's on my heart. Teach me to know You, rather than just knowing of You. I want to know You more. I want to have a relationship with You that deepens and grows, day by day, so that when You come, I will rejoice because I know Whom I have believed. In Jesus' precious Name, Amen!

To Make Him Known

Once we have started to get to know God, we can't contain the joy and fulfillment we are finding! We just have to share it! 

Psalm 111:1 says, "Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation." When we are getting to know God, we can't help but want to tell others about Him! When we have spent time with God, our hearts will overflow with His love, and people will notice. They will see a difference in us, and want what we have. 

We still will have times of trial and sadness, and temptation to sin and despair. But we have a direct connection to the One we are learning to love, we have a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold onto, and He will get us through. And He is so amazing that we just have to tell others about Him, about how He holds us and comforts us in our pain, walks through life's journey with us, and guides us in the right way. 

Many of us may feel like our testimony isn't valuable because we haven't openly rebelled, gone to jail, done drugs, or something else dramatic. We feel like no one would care to hear what we have to share. But the truth is, your life can be a testimony! A life lived passionately pursuing Jesus, in the here and now, is a testimony! Even if you've been in church all your life, the fact that you have chosen to stay, to keep going despite the challenges of life, to intentionally seek to know God for yourself, is a testimony! You may not see the results now, but maybe someone nearby is watching you, inspired by you seeking God and walking with Him, and perhaps your life will inspire them to seek to know God as well! 

To sum it all up, it all comes back to Jesus. He is the One we are seeking to know, and it is Him making Himself known to the world, through us! As we are seeking to know Him, He will shine through us, and others will be drawn to Him, because of Him!! It's all about Jesus!!

This is my prayer,

Father God in heaven, I want to make You known to the world. Show me how to let You shine out of me, to share the love You have given me, to be a blessing to those around me, always pointing them back to You. Make me a canvas for Your grace, a simple reflector of Your love to everyone around me. I surrender myself to be used for Your glory. In Jesus' precious Name, Amen!

May you know God, and make Him known, today and always.

God bless you!

Hope