You’ve heard the phrase – It’s not WHAT you know but WHO you know that counts. That’s actually a fairly accurate statement. Well, as it turns out, it’s also WHO knows YOU that’s pretty important.
Welcome to “Mornings with Bishop Robert” — thanks for joining me … You’re always welcome here. My goal is to introduce people to the Jesus they never knew, and help them get to know Him and His word personally – and better ! If our time together today speaks to your heart, then let me invite you to like, subscribe and share it with a friend!
“God knows” doesn’t always come across as a word of encouragement.
In fact, sometimes it is used to express exasperation. (Question: “Why does he DO that ?!?” Answer: “Only God knows.”) Or even as a veiled threat. (“Don’t forget !! God knows what you’re doing.”)
I’ve met people who think of God as an angry old man who follows them around with a big stick, ready to punish them for the smallest infractions. How sad! Especially when God’s heart for us is totally one of love. His love is the key, it is the means by which He intends to change hearts.
He wants to be KNOWN, and so He is deliberate about revealing Himself. He speaks, He invites, He moves, He touches. He wants us to respond to His love so that we can enjoy a deep, personal and vibrant relationship with Him. He wants to be KNOWN, not in our heads like some bunch of knowledge or accumulated facts, but in our hearts. He wants us to KNOW Him, not to know ABOUT Him.
Knowing God personally will lead us to believe what He says. That is faith. As we come to know and to believe the love that God has for us, we recognise that God is love. And He loves us so much that He invites us to love Him back, take His name, and come and live with Him. It’s the image of a suitor. That’s why one of the names for His Church is “the Bride of Christ.” So, we receive His love, exchange vows and move in. One way the bible puts it is to say that we “abide in Him.” The good news is that whoever abides in His love abides in God, and God abides in them. And this is eternal life, that we know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. It’s eternal because it’s a relationship that lasts after we leave this world.
Being filled with His love causes it to overflow. He fills us beyond what we can contain, and so His love in us spills over onto those around us. We get deliberate about showing His love. We make the effort to love one people well because of the love we have from God. When people who are filled with God’s love employ the gifts God has given them to express and display that love, the world can’t help but recognize it. Whoever loves in this way has been born of God and knows God.
Mother Teresa is an excellent recent example. She never set out to become famous, to win a Nobel prize or to found an order of nuns. She only set out to love the people closest to her who needed to receive God’s love the most. She wasn’t attempting to do great things, she only intended to do small things with great love. Her goal was to let no one ever come into her presence without feeling the love of God. Mother Teresa knew the love and the power were not her own, but were the gift of a God who loved the world so much that He gave. She said, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God Who is sending a love letter to the world.” And the world was compelled to notice how well she loved. And many wanted to love others with the same love and power they saw in her.
“God knows” may be an ambiguous phrase. But adding ONE WORD to it changes everything.
Today’s verse says IF ANYONE LOVES GOD, THEY ARE KNOWN BY GOD
God knows YOU !! Now that’s a horse of a different color indeed.
He knows your pain. And He knows how to heal that pain within. He will do it, if you’ll trust and obey.
He knows your fears, and the things that hold you back. And He knows that walking with Him, your Heavenly Father, is the key to overcoming those fears.
He knows your dreams, the things your heart yearns for. If you’ll make Him your first love, those dreams will be conformed to His will for your life and you’ll find real fulfillment.
God knows, because God knows YOU.
Not only that – He wants you to know Him.
And THAT’s the best news you’ll ever hear.
