February 1st, 2018

”God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too—your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful—I can’t take it all in!” -Psalm 139:1-6 (MSG)
 
J. I. Packer says, “Ignorance of God — ignorance of both His ways and of the practice of communion with Him — lies at the root of the church’s weakness today.”
 
The writer David says how God knows every deed, thought, motivation around us, about us, everything. Sometimes we don’t let people get to know us completely because we are afraid they will find something about us that they won’t like. But God already knows everything about us. Even the number of hairs on our head. (Matt. 10:30), and He still accepts us. Further, David (vs. 6) says, “such knowledge is too wonderful to me. I cannot comprehend it.”
 
Be honest as you can be with yourself. Do you know God? Do I know God? It is the secret of true success, the source of our wisdom beyond our understanding, the strength during our hard times. People of God are no different. Look at the church at large today. You have to agree that the lack of knowledge of God is the cause of our wavering spiritual life, inconsistency between our talk and walk, ineffective in our prayer life.
 
What does it mean to know God and to live with a knowledge of Him? It means intimacy and integrity, to experience the kind of relationship with God that He wants. We need to open up our innermost being to Him. Just like He revealed His innermost nature to us. Knowledge of God is more than an accumulation of facts, it is more than ideas about Him, or some broad perception of Him.
 
Most of you know me as your pastor. How well do you really know me? Do you know my favorite color, what foods do I like most, some would say Indian food, really, what kind of music do I enjoy, you might know my age. But how well do you know how God is working in my life. You can only get to know the details if you spend a lot of time speaking, sharing and asking questions about my life. You would not know these things about me unless you had a much closer relationship than we do. It is the same with our knowledge of God.
 
It is easy to get surface knowledge and think that is enough. Knowledge of God and our relationship with Him comes when we know. Psalm 139:22-23 says, “I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” The psalmist wants God to search him, test him and find what is not good (sin) in him, and lead him.
 
A true and intimate relationship must be based on truth and honesty. We are Christians and we claim to know God, His character and His commands should be intertwined with ours.  Knowing God requires a consistent life of faithfulness.  Obedience is the secret of a growing knowledge of God.
 
His character and His commands should be intertwined with ours.  Knowing God requires a consistent life of faithfulness.  Obedience is the secret of a growing knowledge of God. 
 
We have more knowledge than any other time in history.  Our technology is changing everyday.  We are smarter than any other time in history.  We are not destroyed by lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of in-depth study of scripture, prayer and living out the will of God.  Our character is shaped by cultural values rather than the knowledge of God. 
 
We were created to know, to love, to glorify and to serve God.  We were meant to experience intimacy with God, to know His heart, His desires, His plan for our lives.  God makes the first move.  Our knowledge, our relationship with God begins with Jesus Christ.  Do You Know God?  He knows You.     
 
Have a wonderful day.  Yes, spring is coming and be good to your Valentine.
 
God Bless, Pastor Shaker

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