Knowing God

Knowing God

Hosea 4:6

Nothing is more important than to know God in a deep personal way, to Seek God with all your heart, mind, and strength.

We must not be like those of Hosea’s day who were "destroyed for a lack of knowledge..." Hos 4:6

Anybody can know God even in a vast empty loneliness

During World War II the famous American pilot, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, was flying on a special mission to the Pacific Islands. The plane crashed, and Rickenbacker and his crew were lost at sea for twenty-one days. Rickenbacker wrote of that experience: "In the beginning many of the men were atheists or agnostics, but at the end of the terrible ordeal each, in his own way, discovered God. Each man found God in the vast, empty loneliness of the ocean. Each man found salvation and strength in prayer, and a community of feeling developed which created a liveliness of human fellowship and worship, and a sense of gentle peace.

We have the choice of either Knowing about God, or Knowing of God.

I heard two people on the Wengern Alp talking by the hour of the names of ferns--not a word about their characteristics, uses, or habits, but a medley of crack-jaw titles and nothing more. They evidently felt that they were ventilating their botany and kept each other in countenance by alternate volleys of nonsense. Well, they were about as sensible as those doctrinalists who forever talk over the technicalities of religion but know nothing by experience of its spirit and power. Are we not all too apt to amuse ourselves after the same fashion? He who knows mere names, but has never seen a flower, is as reliable in botany as the theologian who can elaborate upon escatology but has never known the love of Christ in his heart.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon,

Some seek truth independently

Adam and Eve knew God. They acknowledged him as their Lord and obediently carried out their responsibilities as his stewards in creation. However, eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil decisively shaped humanity’s future (Gen 2:9,17). The knowledge derived from eating this fruit is called godlike (Gen 3:5,22), denoting a rebellious attempt to decide good and evil independently of the Creator.

Our knowledge should not be based on what others think, or believe

Don’t follow the leader

Hurrying my 11-year-old daughter to school, following a car ahead of me, I turned right on red where it was prohibited. "Uh, oh," I said, realizing my mistake. "I just made an illegal turn." "It’s all right," my daughter said. "The police car behind us did the same thing."

Jack Eppolito, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."

Know the difference between a natural knowledge, and a revealed knowledge.

Rom 1:18-20 NKJV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

With knowledge we need to glorify God

Rom 1:21-32 NKJV

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.