"He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel."
~Psalm 103:7 (NKJV)
My pastor's sermon yesterday was wonderful! It included everything for everybody...encouragement, challenge, conviction, education, confirmation, Love, discernment...you name it, and it was all founded on the soundness of the Truth of Scripture. But he made a statement somewhere toward the end of his sermon that I got a little tripped up on. I hid it in my heart to come back later and chew on a little more. He said, "We have become more concerned with having an experience with God, than we are in knowing God." WOW!
Now, I say "Wow" now because I've had time to digest his statement, in all its fullness of truth; but, over the past few hours, I've struggled. Why? Because I am one of those who have been crying out deeply and desperately for a move of God. I have been weeping and fasting and seeking a fresh move of God in my personal walk, home, and family. So my struggle was with why is seeking to experience God second tier? I know I want my children and family to have an experience with God, don't you?? I'm pretty sure I have been praying for that for years now!
Well, the truth of his statement comes down to the contrast between experiencing and knowing. As I started to hash it out, I came to one of my favorite topics: relationships. After all, what we are ultimately seeking through Salvation is a relationship with God right?
In a relationships, what is preferable, an experience with a person or knowing a person? Having an experience with a person can be fun, meaningful, defining, and memorable. But it doesn't necessarily equate to actually knowing that person. An experience with a person can be positive or negative; and, if we don’t know that person, we can allow that experience to define our relationship with that person. Sometimes rightfully so, or tragically more often than not, wrongfully so.
But knowing a person is much different. It’s not as immediate as an experience, or even a series of experiences. Knowing a person takes time, effort, intention, patience, understanding, and selflessness. And after all of that, truly knowing a person can enhance our experiences with them. Why? Because, unlike experience, knowing equates intimacy. And that is the catch all and end all of what a relationship with Jesus is meant to accomplish: intimacy with God.
I love this topic, and I want to try something a little different over our next few interactions. I want to get your feedback, and take some time myself and look at what it really means to know a person versus having an experience with them. Share examples, terms, words, phrases or definitions. Let’s talk about how they relate to our experiences and knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. And after several weeks of sharing and discussion, I want to put it all together to paint a picture of what getting to know God really looks like.
I hope to hear back from you! Have a wonderful week, and Make Monday Matter!
Dawn~
~Pouring my life out in worship, like Costly Oil~
Now, I say "Wow" now because I've had time to digest his statement, in all its fullness of truth; but, over the past few hours, I've struggled. Why? Because I am one of those who have been crying out deeply and desperately for a move of God. I have been weeping and fasting and seeking a fresh move of God in my personal walk, home, and family. So my struggle was with why is seeking to experience God second tier? I know I want my children and family to have an experience with God, don't you?? I'm pretty sure I have been praying for that for years now!
Well, the truth of his statement comes down to the contrast between experiencing and knowing. As I started to hash it out, I came to one of my favorite topics: relationships. After all, what we are ultimately seeking through Salvation is a relationship with God right?
In a relationships, what is preferable, an experience with a person or knowing a person? Having an experience with a person can be fun, meaningful, defining, and memorable. But it doesn't necessarily equate to actually knowing that person. An experience with a person can be positive or negative; and, if we don’t know that person, we can allow that experience to define our relationship with that person. Sometimes rightfully so, or tragically more often than not, wrongfully so.
But knowing a person is much different. It’s not as immediate as an experience, or even a series of experiences. Knowing a person takes time, effort, intention, patience, understanding, and selflessness. And after all of that, truly knowing a person can enhance our experiences with them. Why? Because, unlike experience, knowing equates intimacy. And that is the catch all and end all of what a relationship with Jesus is meant to accomplish: intimacy with God.
I love this topic, and I want to try something a little different over our next few interactions. I want to get your feedback, and take some time myself and look at what it really means to know a person versus having an experience with them. Share examples, terms, words, phrases or definitions. Let’s talk about how they relate to our experiences and knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. And after several weeks of sharing and discussion, I want to put it all together to paint a picture of what getting to know God really looks like.
I hope to hear back from you! Have a wonderful week, and Make Monday Matter!
Dawn~
~Pouring my life out in worship, like Costly Oil~
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