What Does God Want From Us (Part 2). Know Him.

In the previous post we discussed what it is God wants most from us...our love. So, how can you love Him with all of your heart, soul and mind, as the Scriptures tell us, unless you really know Him personally and intimately?

Relational God

God is a relational God. From the opening chapters of Genesis and on through the New Testament, we learn of a God who is personally involved in the lives of His creation.

You may not realize it, but you were created to know God. To have an intimate, loving relationship with Him. Marriage, the love union between man and woman, also serves as a picture of the type of closeness we are made to have with God (Ephesians 5:22-23). Scripture even tells us that the church (His believers) is His bride. So if we are to love God in such a personal way, with all of our heart, soul and mind, we must know Him.

Those of you who are married, wouldn't you say your love for your spouse is also rooted in deeply and personally knowing them? A mere intellectual understanding of your partner is only a start. Head knowledge about their personality, characteristics and nature is surely a good thing, yet hardly enough to develop a true love for him/her. There has to be a deeper, more personal connection at the level of the heart. The same holds true when it comes to our relationship with God. You can’t truly love Him unless you truly know Him personally.

So do you know God or do you just know about Him? There is a big difference. Far too often knowledge of God is mistaken for knowing God. Many people know about God…have knowledge of Him. But far fewer people actually know Him in a personal way. Head knowledge is good, but heart knowledge is necessary as well. He wants more than just an intellectual understanding of who He is.

Getting to Know God

So, how do you get to know someone personally, beyond just knowing about them? Like any relationship, you spend time with them. You communicate with them. Share your heart. Learn their likes and dislikes. It’s the same with God. In order to know Him, which is what He desires and is available to anyone who seeks Him, we must spend time with Him. Study His Word as being written personally to you, not simply as a historical account. Talk to Him as you would your best friend. Learn to recognize His voice speaking to your heart.

Author John Eldredge states, “You can know Jesus…even better than your friends. Or what was the incarnation for?”

God desires so strongly that you know Him, He actually came in physical form through Jesus. And with His death on the cross He promised to give all who believe in Him the gift of His Spirit to literally dwell inside...the Spirit of God living within your heart so you can always have access to God. So you can always have His presence close. So you can always talk to Him. So you can always hear from Him. So He can guide you. Comfort you. Teach you. Love you. He wants your love so much that He literally will send His Spirit into your heart to live with you, be one with you. How much more personal could He get?

If you don't yet know God in a personal way, I encourage you to ask Him to show you the type of relationship He offers. What else could compare to knowing the Creator of the universe in a personal way. He is more intimate, more faithful and more loving than any person you will ever know.

So how do we love God with all of our heart, soul and mind? We get to know Him. If you truly know Him, His love will fill you. And your only response will be to love Him in return.

 By Ryan Walters