1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
If you are a Christian, your first reaction to the title of this devotional might be, “Well, DUH! OF COURSE! Why wouldn’t someone want to know God?” But there are those who not only don’t want to know God but who also don’t want to have anything to do with God! A recent post on Facebook showed two smirking people holding a sign that read ” Keep God Out Of California!” Obviously, these people do not know God, nor do they want to know God. They hope that waving signs and performing rituals and other ceremonies will keep the Creator out of His Creation. The fact is that God created California, that He was in California long before these people were ever born, and that after they become old and die, God will still remain in California. The sad thing is that the one place God will never be is in the hearts of those who reject Him.
God by His very nature is omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all – powerful), and omniscient (all – knowing). God is eternal and unchanging. God’s ways are perfect and just. We humans by our very nature are imperfect and sinful. We may start out the day with the best of intentions, but within a short time, we have already done something wrong or thought something wrong. Without God, we are incomplete.
WHY SHOULD WE WANT TO KNOW GOD? To know God and to love God means that we have a Friend who has promised to never leave us or abandon us. (Hebrews 13:5) No matter how close our friends are to us, on any given day, they might disappoint us or fail us. How many of us have had to learn the hard way that we cannot trust friends with every confidence. We might tell a friend something, assuming they will be discrete, only to find out later that they have already blabbed our problems to several other friends, who have then spread it to their friends, etc., etc. Any human friend can have a bad day; God never has a bad day.
The Apostle John, who probably knew Jesus better while He was here on earth than any of the other disciples, confidently states that God is love, that God has always been loving, and that God will always continue to be loving. What human friend can guarantee love and acceptance?
Some of us were raised in dysfunctional family situations. One common problem is the statement, “Oh, you don’t really think that!” or “Oh, you don’t really feel that!” It has taken me years of prayer, meditation, and learning to grow beyond the statements I heard as a small child. Why do people say such things? People deny the validity of your thoughts or your feelings because they are afraid of them and wish to control their environment as much as possible. Guess what? You can’t frighten God!
Psalm 139:1-4 says, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD”.
Many of us had parents who had lots of problems themselves. Perhaps our parents were abused as children, so their idea of discipline was quite harsh or totally unreasonable. Perhaps our parents had no good role models, so they were uncertain in their parenting. Perhaps our parents were raised in unloving environments, so they never learned how to be affectionate with their children. But God is the perfect Father. Everything your heart has longed for – to be understood, to be accepted, and to be loved for who you are – God the Father is well able to love you.
You cannot shock God. You can tell God anything, and He will listen and understand. There is nothing wrong with being angry with God and telling Him about it; He is not going to become offended and leave in a huff. You can go to God when your heart is breaking, and God can comfort you. But above all else, GOD IS LOVE.
PRAYER: Father God, many of us have never known a father’s love and we aren’t sure if we can trust you. Please help all who read this to open their hearts and minds to the unfailing eternal love you have for them. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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