Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments”
(Deuteronomy 7:9, NKJ)
Do you know HIM?
Consider the lilies of the field… Matt 6:28
thedailylily.com 
Know seems to be a big word for a big God when I study some of the the meaning: to perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty; to regard as true beyond doubt; to have a practical understanding of; to have fixed in the mind; to have experience of; to perceive as familiar; recognize; to be acquainted with; to be able to distinguish.
I believe I am pursuing knowing Him but I don’t know Him fully (I Cor. 13:12). We know God by receiving and obeying His son, Jesus (John 14:6-9). We know Him through reading, knowing and applying His word to our lives. Knowing Him comes through obedience. When we seek Him with all our heart we find Him (Jer. 29:11-13).
The Apostle Paul was intent on knowing Him and shares his passion: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Phil 3:10-11
Gary taught, (paraphrase) ‘ to know God, know thyself. To know thyself know God.’ I believe what I think this means is that once I know who I am and do not compare myself with my brothers and sisters then I will know who I am in comparison to God. And in that case Who God is in comparison to me. Thus I will see His sovereignty, His Magnanimity, His mercy, compassion, wisdom and glory. And THEN…I will understand that through all these incredible virtues He still loves and cares for me, a mere mortal. Then I will begin to know who I am and GOD….HOW GREAT THOU ART!!
I think this scripture helps us test our answer to the question, Do you know HIM?
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” I John 4:7,8
Just to think that one can go to sleep knowing that they know a God full of mercy and has promised mercy for a thousand generations for those who love Him! Does anyone know how long that is in earth time?
What a responsibility and privilege we have to leave an inheritance to future generations. We have an opportunity to leave on this earth a legacy of faith. Its time for some of us to step up to the plate……don’t you think?
I can remember my grandmother saying….”honey, keep your hand in the nail scarred hand”, when I would go to her with concerns. Thankfully, I have had people in my life who did “step up to the plate.” Sara, you have asked…”Its time for some of us to step up to the plate….don’t you think?” What other answer can we give, but “yes”….if we truly love God?
To know Him is to love Him. But if we don’t love our fellow believer, then we can’t really love God. And if we can’t really love God then we don’t know Him and if we say we know Him we are lying and we deceive ourselves. (1John chapt 2)
Future generations need to hear about the faithful God who keeps His covenant. This should be part of the legacy we leave to them.
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15
I had a Christian painter working at my house today. He asked me, ”what is the only man made thing in heaven?” I didn’t know. Do you?
Answer:The scars in Jesus’ side and hands were made by man….
Needles, in reading your answer, yes, we need to step up to the plate. I had a flash thought that hopefully will last. I don’t like strike outs when playing baseball unless I am the pitcher. When we step up to the plate we need to go for the run. We can surely make a base hit and advance the runners. Sometimes we are like some baseball hitters we want a home run so bad (and do nothing but strike out) we forget if runners are on base it would be perfect to base hit, bunt or walk. We are a team and to win it takes a team not a one man show for the ego.
We just need to do as our scripture says, love Him and keep His commandments and that makes a winning team.
Amen to “teamwork”, Sara. I can’t think of any man made thing in heaven, at the moment.
I read a book a while ago by a person whom the Lord showed Heaven to and she writes that in the midst of the little ones in Heaven was THE CROSS. I guess that goes along with the scars, nail prints and wounds in HIS side.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24
This seems like an important part of teamwork, understanding and seeing how to help others get in the race, stay in the race and finish the race.
Debi, give us some ways we can step up and get others in the race?
Some ways may be to encourage others if they are timid or discouraged; motivate others to work by setting a good example; help others to learn and to do; pray for others; make opportunities for others to be a part.
This scripture seems helpful from I Thess. 5:14: “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
OK, Needles, did you just read what Debi wrote…I Thess 5:14? Maybe you better get out those footnotes?
Ok, here they are: “Don’t loaf around with the lazy; warn them. Don’t yell at the timid and weak; encourage and help them. At times it can be difficult to distinguish between idleness and timidity. Two people may be doing nothing–one out of laziness and the other out of shyness or fear of doing something wrong. The key to ministry is sensitivity: sensing the condition of each person and offering the appropriate remedy for each situation. You can’t effectively help until you know the problem. You can’t apply the medicine until you know where the wound is.”
Hum, let’s reiterate, “At times it can be difficult to distinguish between idleness and timidity.” Since I am a nurse, my thoughts are….”guess we better get a diagnosis, from the doctor, before we apply the medicine, to a wound that may not exist?”
I had a feeling this was coming. “Not capable!”
To Know God is to KNOW all and evey aspect ofHis being and character. To Know God is to Know His gargantuan love and His impeccable judgment or justice. In Luke 13, Jesus warns us warm fuzzies-love-God souls that there is justice and judment in God’s rule over all people including His own. Jesus warns us that when we cast an eye upon others whom we believe are being judged for thier wicked ways that we had better look at ourselves and our lifestyles because we will be judeged as NO Better than those with whom the Lord is dealijg if we don’t have self-control and obedecnce to His Word.
(to be contd.)
Sara,
I have reread the above comments from Debi, myself, and you. I would like to reiterate one of the statements, from the footnotes. Read with me, “The key to ministry is sensitivity: sensing the condition of each person and offering the appropriate remedy for each situation.” Debi just told us that we must “warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.” I’m wondering…. are we not as sensitive as we need to be, sometimes?
Or maybe it’s the “action” part of that statement….”offering the appropriate remedy”, that we just aren’t doing, sometimes? Hum, all this makes me remember on one of the blogs, where a little boy, (I think in Rena’s class, said….”work, work, work”). I guess I can be sensitive all day long to one’s hurts, needs, etc., but unless I actually “offer”, whatever is needed, then I haven’t followed the scriptures in 1 Thess, have I?
Somebody, anybody, want to help?
Needles my thoughts are that in order to be sensitive to others needs we would have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit because He knows the needs of others. And then to be responsive to their needs we would have to be led by and timely obedient to the Spirit to follow through on His prompts to meet those needs. If we aren’t then we are probably just guessing about needs or responding out of emotion or some other motive of self or flesh.
Rom 8:14 says “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God these are the sons of God.” Guess we better make sure we are led by the Spirit.
Thanks, Debi.
I would think that if I saw a need and had the ability to help I would work work work to find out my part before I would drift off and say I didn’t hear the Holy Spirit. It seems to me to know the right thing based on the scripture given by Debi and the one below would say, if I saw I know….”warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.”
James 4:17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Pretty simple isn’t it. What your hand finds to do, do it….Ecc 9:10 “Whatevero your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”