Our eternal destiny as well as our earthly contentment rest upon our relationship with God.
Virtually every one of us has gotten jobs or not gotten jobs based on who we did or did not know. Getting into heaven is based on who you know, not what you have done or not done.
Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 states it plainly in describing the return of Christ, "When the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." (NASU)
Surely you can see the importance of knowing God.
Is it really possible to know God? We often hear that Christianity is a relationship not a religion. That is very true and it causes me to wonder exactly how many people have a real understanding of what that means.
Sometimes I wonder if I have a good grasp of that myself. Just how am I supposed to have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe?
That is the most important question that has ever been conceived. If we miss this question, nothing else really matters. What better New Year's resolution could a human have than to resolve to know his Creator better at the end of the year than he did at the beginning of the year?
Our Creator is wholly separate and apart from us, but He is also the God Who Is Near. God is holy, holy, holy; we are unholy, unholy, unholy and yet our God became one of us. That is far more marvelous than simply living among us. He actually became one of us without becoming unholy like us.
Spend some time with that. The God who sees and knows all is wholly unlike me who sees little and knows less. The God who can cause any and all things to occur is nothing like me who cannot even swear that I will take my next breath and yet I am to relate to Him personally.
There is good news. God did not create us and walk away. He left us a written book in which He reveals Himself. God gives us the privilege of carrying on a conversation with Him. He both listens and speaks to us. God came and lived among us. It is impossible to know God apart from Jesus and His sacrificial death.
To cap it all off, God is making us into a home suitable for Himself. God the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in us during His remodeling work in us. Surely we can get to know Him as he sanctifies us.
Shall we resolve to read the Bible through in 2016?
I heard a marvelous testimony yesterday from a woman who mocked and scoffed when someone suggested that she read the Bible through in 90 days. She now says that it is a life-changing experience and just finished a ninth time through in 90 days.
Shall we read the Bible for the express purpose of knowing God as opposed to knowing about Him or as a guide book for living? Shall we resolve to schedule significant time for prayer and pray not for things but rather to know God? Shall we resolve to daily ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit as opposed to simply relying on His indwelling presence? I, for one, need that.
Steve Ellison's 15 years coaching and teaching in public schools have given him a deep love for high school students. He spent seven years on staff with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which fostered a tremendous interest in sports ministry. His life's purpose is to teach the Bible in a way that will capture the attention of a world that desperately needs it. He currently works as camp administrator at Ouachita Baptist Assembly, providing preaching, revivals and youth events. Email questions or comments to [email protected].
Religion on 01/23/2016