… in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,
Summary: Getting to know someone takes a bit of effort. That is true for anyone, even God. Getting to know our Heavenly Father is the most rewarding relationship we can have.
When my grandchildren were born, they had no idea who I was. I held them when they were little babies, but they were raised by their parents. The children knew their parents because they saw them every day. Grandparents take a little while longer to get to know.
Each of my grandchildren is different, but they are all loved. Showing them my love for them is a delight for me. Yet, I have to do it on their terms. They have to be willing to come to Grandpa to get to know him. Our Father, God, is a bit like that, too.
We have to come to him to get to know him. We have to open the door of our hearts to let him in. When we do, we discover that he loves us. As we get to know him, he is able to show us how much he loves us.
When God does something nice for me, he is showing me his grace. He is sweet that way. He likes to do nice things us.
I used to take all the nice things he does for granted. Life, after all, is a miracle and a wonderful gift. The fact that our bodies can heal when cut or burned is a gift. We have all kinds of food to eat, we have air to breathe, and we have sounds to listen to.
Have you ever looked up at the sky and marveled at what you see? Bright sunshine, puffy clouds, and rainbows are all samples of God’s grace. Yet they are easy to take for granted because they are for everybody. Somehow that doesn’t seem personal enough.
Well, God wants to show his grace to you and me personally, too.
How he does that is … well … personal. In my life, I have been touched by God in many different ways. Because of who I am and where I was when God first came to me, I didn’t fully appreciate God’s grace. As I have come to know him, I have slowly learned to understand his ways. I am beginning to recognize him from the general background of Creation. Just like my grandchildren had to learn to recognize me from all the other people in their lives.
Grandma and Grandpa are special because a grandparent’s love for their grandchildren is different than anyone else. Grandparents are unique in the life of a child (if they are fortunate enough to have time with their grandparents). When it comes to our Father, God, we have “ages” ahead of us to get to know him.
Application: Make the effort to get to know Father.
Food for Thought: What are some things we can do to get to know our God better?
What are some things we can do to get to know our God better?
Read His Word
Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
Pray; ask a lot of questions.
James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Listen
Ezekiel 3:10 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely.
Apply generously
2 Peter 1:3-4 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Fail; Succeed
Proverbs 24:16 The righteous may fall seven times but still get up, but the wicked will stumble into trouble.
Proverbs 3:3-4 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.
Thank you, Chris!
Well said. I like your format today: topic, verse, repeat.
Well done!
I have to agree with Chris. God gave us His word to understand Him more. But I’d like to add that the creator has left parts of Himself in His creation. There are things that we do that we have written in our DNA that He has given us like Love.
Thanks Tim!
Absolutely. You bring to mind Romans 1:20 —
“ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Some things are hard-wired into us, like the knowledge of the reality of God.
I think this topic is pretty well covered. I will only add a few other ingredients: worship, service and fellowship with other believers.
Nice, Rich!!
Fellowship, especially, gives us opportunities to practice our faith and grow in our relationship with God.
I know someone said that it was pretty much covered but I’d like to add a further thought. Along with fellowship, is having a good mentor, teacher, professor, pastor, rabbi, and fellow faithful followers of Jesus Christ that you can learn from. If none of those sounds feasible then I know of a daily blog called http://WWW.THREEMINUTEBIBLE.COM
Thanks, Tim!
It is fun to have people to share my journey with! 🙂
04-03-2022, What are some things we can do to get to know our God better?
First and foremost, we must fully understand, knowing God better is a lifelong journey.
Yesterday, at church, the Lord used my wife to bring a man near my age and I together. He is 80 years old, Chinese, schooled as a neurologist and has known the Lord for years, will be joining our church in baptism this coming Sunday. He just radiated love for the Lord. As we talked, I asked him “ Don’t you find this to be the most intriguing time in your life? “ With an enormous smile, he said “absolutely.”
Getting to know the Lord has taken a lifetime and I am still learning. We do all Chris has mentioned, and the more, we learn, the bigger God becomes. His great love and concern for each of us becomes so very clear as we become closer and actually begin to look foeward to being with Him daily.
Live each day to it’s fullest, knowing our job is to become and grow as the child of God we have become. Be alert to His voice, obedient to His instruction, recognize His presence in all we see, all we experience. Know God is Sovereign, and is bringing each of us closer to Him, in all He allows as He forms each of us into the messenger to the world He has predetermined we are to be.
Prepare for the welfare of your loved ones as you live with the mix of pain and the excitement of knowing your time of separation is coming soon, and a joyful reunion is ahead of us all.
Thank you, Ron.
I think you just defined the word “bittersweet.” It is a good thing to be able to counteract the pain of this fallen world with the promise of a better world to come!