In The Know

"Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord...All the while, you will learn to know God better and better." (Colossians 1:10 NLT)

Have you ever felt that God seemed distant or detached from you? Could it be because we seem to be waiting for God to come to us? An observation: this is backward!

God has given us His Word, His Son, and His Spirit. That is more than we will ever need in order to understand God (and certainly more than we can absorb in a lifetime). But the next step belongs us. It's up to us to read God's Word, to believe in His Son, and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost for those still stuck in tradition).

God is anxiously desiring a deep and meaningful personal relationship with us, but He won't force the issue. I believe the meaningful relationship comes when we desire that deep personal relationship with God! In order to know God better, to be in the know, we must approach Him. When Jesus taught about this principle, He presented the relationship as an invitation:

"Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." (Revelation 3:20 NLT)

God makes Himself available, but we must respond to His invitation. Take Him at His Word. Go to Him. Open the door of your heart to Him. You don't have to move to a monastery to know God better. You don't have to learn ancient Hebrew or memorize the names of the twelve disciples in alphabetical order. All it takes is a little bit of your time and attention - reading His Word and talking to Him. Start with a few minutes a day and grow from there.

God has already extended the invitation and He's waiting for us to respond. We don't have to call for an appointment.

~excerpts from The Best of God is in the Small Stuff.