Get to Know Me

 2015 was a good year for me. It was a year of God’s pruning, cultivating, correcting and encouraging me. 

In asking God for a title for today’s commentary, I came across a video on hell. This is in no way a message on hell, but I will share briefly a small portion of this brother’s testimony.  After experiencing chest pains at a Casino, he fell to the floor and died of a heart attack. He says he was in hell for seven minutes.  He entered a place where there was no escape. He had no use of his legs so he could not move. When he died he had $2000 in his pocket, but for him the money was useless. In hell there are no malls, restaurants or movie theatres. There are no video games to play or any form of entertainment. The man began to cry out for someone to help him, but there was no one to help. As he kept crying out for help, he awakened in the hospital emergency room. Shaken by what he experienced, he waited for the room to be free of people. The man again cried out to God and asked what must I do to avoid ever returning to that place?  And God answered him, “Get to know Me”.

As I listened to his testimony, I thought this could have been me. Yes, a born again Christian. When I think about how I was before God changed me.  Hell could have been my destination. As Christians we fool ourselves into thinking that we are alright because we go to church every Sunday and do Christian things. We live life knowing about God, but never really living for Him.  God knows what is in our heart and nothing is hidden from Him. 

Recently, I had a health scare that almost devastated me. A routine breast examination came back with negative results. A follow up visit for more testing was required. I wasn’t ready to share anything with my family at the time, so I asked God who could I trust to stand with me if  indeed I have breast cancer?  The Lord gave me a name of a person whom I have not had a relationship with in years. No phone calls, no texting, nothing. It was a person who I chose to disassociate myself from for various reasons.  Yet, in my time of crisis God spoke this person's name to my heart. After further testing I received a good report from the doctor, no cancer.  I remembered my question to God and after a few weeks I contacted the person and scheduled a lunch date.  I had the best time.  We chatted on like school girls.  I told her of my health scare and what the Lord spoke to me.  My friend responded, “I would have stood with you.  My mother had breast cancer and I was the one who accompanied her to all doctor’s visits and I never missed an appointment”.  I had no knowledge of her mother ever having breast cancer.  I learned so much from this experience.

Life is a journey and it does not necessarily take us down the same road. We all grow, mature, develop and process things differently.  We each have our areas of strength as well as weakness. And as imperfect as we are God knows what is in our heart. God knew the love and devotion in the heart of my friend towards him. How else would she be willing to stand with me? I have learned that my thoughts and opinions of others are meaningless. The only thing that matters is if I am pleasing and obedient to God.  Words also echoed in the man’s testimony. I wonder how many of today’s Christians would have welcomed Peter back as a disciple especially after denying Christ three times.  I can answer this question for you, not many. But Jesus knew what was in Peter’s heart and He knew Peter loved Him.

When you come to know Jesus you will discover a relationship that transcends time.  It is a relationship that will challenge your ideals, thoughts and opinions while rooting out self righteousness.

As you “Get to know Jesus” the veil between what you think is right or wrong becomes thin. This is why the enemy of our soul wages war against us constantly.  He knows as long as we remain ignorant to the things of the Lord, or have a lukewarm relationship with Him, his plan to kill, still and destroy will continue to be an effective tool against us.    

When you come to know God it will be easy for you to discern that He is a good, good Father and perfect in all of His ways.  His love for us is relentless.

In 2016 let us GET TO KNOW JESUS