OK - I've been away from this for a long time (even longer than the last post's gap) but I just had to get this off my chest in an open way. And yes, this is another reference to a 3 Doors Down song. (Why do I think those guys are so inspirational? Hmm...) So - read, enjoy, disagree - whatever. I feel better though!
I love music – all kinds of music. I
often find myself way over-analyzing lyrics and trying to make applications
which may not truly be there. Truth is, that’s pretty sad since so many song
lyrics are either goofy or foul; but, I digress. I was listening to a song the
other day with the words, “You love me but you don’t know who I am.” The lyrics
tumbled around in my head for some reason, and then it occurred to me why.
Recently I’ve been struck by a couple articles I’ve read and some facebook
postings I’ve seen – all of which were written by folks calling themselves
Christians; yet, the words written were defaming the church or supporting things
God condemns. It made me think, “How do you think God feels when one slanders
His Son’s bride or when one stands in direct opposition to His teaching?” Do
these people who claim to know God really know Him? Or would God say, “You love
Me but you don’t know who I am”? 1st John 5:3-4 reads, “For this is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born
of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world
— our faith” (NKJV). By simply using logic we can conclude, to love God is
preceded by our knowledge of Him. We have to know someone before we can say we
love them, right? Therefore, it stands to reason one would also see that loving
God demands our obedience to Him. It also demands we separate ourselves from
the things of the world – even if those things are seen as popular in religious
circles or as politically correct. To love God is more than a feeling, more
than a concept. To love God means one is going to get to know Him. Knowing God
is an intellectual pursuit which is evidenced by our actions. In other words,
we learn from God’s Word who He is and what he expects, and then we do our very
best to live it out. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “… as
His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us…” We have our guidance for life
based on knowing God! So, when we continue in sinful behavior with no
repentance, all the while professing to love and know God, we stand opposed to
what we do know about God. (See
above 1st John reference.) When we profess to know all the ills of
the Lord’s church and all that is wrong about simple, sincere, Bible-based
worship, we are telling God we love Him…but He doesn’t know what He really
wants. Jesus said, as John records in John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
You see, knowing God is knowing truth – attainable, revealed truth. Loving and
knowing God is not goosebumps or emotions. Those can be there, certainly. But
loving God is knowing Him based on what He reveals to us through His Word.
Wouldn’t we all be better off if we could say, “I love Him…and I want to know
more and more who He is.”
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