Welcome to September 2nd. WOW! Time does fly when you are having fun. Wasn’t it just yesterday it was so cold and snow was falling? Well, I guess if you live in Australia that would be absolutely true. I hope you had a good Labor Day weekend and able to take a break from your labor. I came to the office for a couple of hours, had a chance to ride my bike a little over 12 miles, then did yard work off and on the rest of the day. Oh yeah…I also grilled a few steaks and hamburgers. Yum!
Anyway…back to business. While taking a break from my labors, I started reading 12 Crucial Truths of the Christian Faith by Josh and Sean McDowell. I’m only in the the first chapter and it has become crystal clear why they are the braniacs and I am not. 🙂 They are writing about God Exists and it is totally evident that I am out of my league. But occasionally I grasp things. Again…:). Something struck me as I read and I wanted to share it with you. They are talking about the relational image of God, i.e. how knowing we are relational beings, created in God’s image, is important. They ask a vital question: how do you live out that image in relationship to others? They give 3 answers and to be totally transparent and honest, I know zero. zip. nada. of the Hebrew language. Keep that in mind as I write this. So…the 3 answers to the question:
1. Know Others. One of the words Scripture uses for lasting intimacy is yada. It means “to know.” We all want to be real and be known. It is like we have one of those sandwich boards around us that says, “Please know me!” Jer. 1:5 tells us God knew us in our mother’s womb. God knew us intimately before we were born.Â
2. Be Known. Proverbs 3:32 says, “…but he offers his friendship to the godly.” Friendship is the Hebrew word sod, which means “vulnerable or transparent disclosure.” God offer his friendship to us and He created us to do the same with others.Â
3. Be Involved. One of God’s characteristics is His Omnipresence. That means He knows where we are at all times. The Hebrew word sakan, translated “know,” means a caring involvement.Â
All these words show God was deeply involved in our lives from its very beginning. When we were in the womb He was involved and will stay involved until the end. And even then, He is not done! Can you say eternity with Him? Knowing all the arguments for the existence of God are/may be important to who you are and the people you relate to, but none are more important than to know God wants a relationship with us. Do you know Him?
I certainly learned something new here regarding the Hebrew words, Bill, especially “yada.” That’s something I’ve heard forever but I never understood its origin. Isn’t it amazing that our Father God knows us, and desires to have a relationship with us all our days? It blows me away every time. Blessings!
I’m blown away every time I think about it Martha. For Him to care about me and want to be mine is stunning.
I am not sure if this is similar, but there is a difference in knowing about something, head knowledge… And knowing through experience and relationship. One can read a book and gain some insight on what someone may have been like. One can spend time occasionally with someone and get glimpses into their personality and behavior. To truly know someone, you really have to spend large amounts of time with them, through good and bad, successes and failures, wins and losses… Only then can you really experience who someone is…
it most definitely fits Ryan. They say that difference between the heart and the head, between knowing and loving is 18″. There is something to that. You pointed it out perfectly. Time spent with someone speaks a whole lot more than an occasional call or letter.
That sounds like a prison sentence.
I kid.. I kid…
But if I am to be anyone’s prisoner, I would want that someone to be Jesus!
Knowing what the Master desires is important to us. As long as we follow Him and are close to Him, we grow in Him. If we wander off, He will always call to us to come back closer to Him.
Not sure what you mean by “sounds like a prison sentence” but I do know what the Master desires of us is worth it all.
Embracing the idea that God the great I Am, desires a relationship with me is both unimaginably exciting and truly humbling that I could possibly deserve Gods presence in my life. Something I read recently somewhere I have embraced into my morning prayers is: Jesus, You are always present with me. Teach me to always be present with You. Being in a relationship with God is the most important relationship I can have so I want to treasure and nurture my time with God as best as I possibly can.
That is a good prayer to pray Gail. It is unimaginably exciting and truly humble. I must agree with you on that. 🙂