Something that has been repeating over and over in my mind lately is this, “Rule without relationship equals rebellion.” My mind map goes from there to God, and I begin to question my relationship with God. “If I knew God more, would I rebel less?” My next thought is, “How well do I know God?”
Theologically I can know about God, but do I know Him? I can know all about a movie star, famous athlete or historical person and still not know them. There is a distinction between knowing Him and knowing about Him. You can be at services every time and five o’clock on Sundays. You can be at every activity and still only know about God (Matt. 7:21-23). How do we make the jump from knowledge to relationship?
We need to start by listening to Him—“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3). We must listen to His Son—“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2a). We must also listen to those men that were given charge to teach the early church—“We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us” (1 John 4:6a). This is more than just knowledge. This is hearing and obedience. There were many of the different religious elite in the time of Christ who heard and knew Jesus’ message but they did not listen. Those who went out to be baptized by John, listened. Those who followed Christ during His ministry, listened. Those who were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, listened.
We must listen and we must love. “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love… and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:7b-8, 16b). We have to learn to love like God. His Son can show us the way (John 14:6-10).
Let’s finish with this thought. I recently asked someone at a youth event if she trusted the coordinator of the event, someone she didn’t even know (it wasn’t me). Her reply surprised me, “I trust him because other people trust him.” I didn’t see that coming. Then I thought, “How did Noah, Abraham, Moses and David get to know God?” They laid everything on the line for their relationship with God, they held nothing back. Were they perfect? No, but they knew God and trusted Him. They were all in. So I would like you challenge you to get to know God on a deeper level. Trust the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. How well you know God depends entirely on you (Phil. 2:12).