What do you mean, you know him?

Andrew Murray referenced John 17: 3, “This is the way to have eternal life – to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”  The word know kind of stuck out to me, to know God, and somehow I did not think that word know used there meant the same thing as how I know one of my neighbors, by sight, to say hello to, to share a few words with when the weather is nice and we are both outdoors.

 Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines this word translated know this way: "to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize, understand," or "to understand completely.” Hmmm, to recognize and understand God; this is different from seeing a “picture” of God or hearing the word, and thinking “a superior being.” 

 I think about how one know is like the way I know my dry cleaner; I see the face and know where from, but I know nothing of what motivates this person or what they think or love or live for.  BUT, I know God loves me; I know that He sought me out and gave me an understanding of the gospel, that He loved me enough to give His only begotten Son to die in my place, paying my sin debt.  I know that God, through Jesus is preparing a place for me in heaven, and I will be with Him there, John 14: 1-6.  I know that He wants to hear my voice; He calls me to stop worrying and bring all my desires to Him, and trusting Him leave them with Him, and He will give me peace, Philippians 4: 6-7. I know God personally, intimately.

I fear there are a lot of people who think they know God because they know some things about Him; they know Him intellectually.  But they do not have a personal relationship with Him.  They don’t really care what He thinks about what they do, nor do they care about what He says to them, in His Word.  They don’t love Him.

And that is what it is all about, this Christmas season, taking time to obey the great commandments found in Matthew 23: 37-39: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord they God with all they heart (not just know and acknowledge who He is)  and with all they soul and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment.  The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.”

I think God wants us to look at life through His eyes, to think about what He would want for us, to do, to be, to love.  And I think He wants us to do the same for our neighbors, those people our lives touch.   Somehow, if we love them, these people in our lives, we will long for them to have what we have, an intimate personal relationship with the God Who made it all, the same God Who cares about us.  The question is then: What will that longing move us to do?