My son was asking Bible questions to me the other day. One of the things we were talking about was how important it is to know and be known. You can pick any famous or political person you want for this. What all do you know about them? Do you know their family member’s names? Habits? Likes? Where they live? You can usually know a lot about them, but do you know them? You may have met them, but chances are they don’t remember you even though it was a memory you’ll never forget. The same can happen with us and God. We can read His Word and be able to answer any questions about Him, but do you truly know Him? Jesus said there would be people who would even do things in His name, but when they die, He would say He didn’t know them. A Christian isn’t someone who knows about God. It’s someone who knows Him and He knows them back.
In Acts 19, Paul was on a missionary journey winning the lost, healing the sick and casting out demons. There was a group of Jewish priests who had seen. Him do it and decided they wanted to follow in Paul’s footsteps. They traveled town to town too. They knew all about God because they were priests. They had seen God work miracles and believed in Them. In verse 13 they said, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” (NLT). This demon spoke back and said, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” The possessed man them beat all seven of them up and sent them away. They found out that it wasn’t enough to know about Him that day. To have the power that comes from Him, you must know Him and be known by Him.
In John 10:14 Jesus said, ““I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me.” The scariest words in the Bible are, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” There are going to be people who get to Heaven having done a lot of good in the name of Christianity and Jesus, but they will be turned away. They read their Bibles and studied God, but never took the time to get to know Him or to be known by Him. That kind of relationship isn’t a one time meeting. It takes constant communication from both sides in order to know someone. We must be people who pray and listen to what God is saying. Christianity is a relationship with God where you get to know Him and He gets to know you. The more time you spend with Him, the deeper the relationship will be. How well do you know Him? How much of yourself have you shared with Him. The more vulnerable you are, the more you will be known by Him.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko:
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 