May 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

One of the great dangers threatening the church is a lack of knowledge. This is not just a current problem. The prophet Hosea passes on this word of the Lord, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you.” (4:6) The Northern tribes of Israel are rebuked because they do not know the Lord.

In the Bible, to know someone is to have a deep emotional relationship with that person. To “know God” is to have intimate communion with the living God. Our heart beats for Him and He is on our mind. Our emotions and actions are affected by our relationship with Him.

Today, we know God through Jesus Christ. Through Christ we gain knowledge of the Lord’s ways and we are drawn into a relationship of deep intimacy. We eagerly listen to the beautiful words that He has written down in an expression of His intense love for us. They are music to our ears and we bend our knees in humble devotion. We are thrilled to hear His voice and to discover His nearness as we approach His holy throne of grace. We are awestruck at His marvellous and picturesque creation. We simply enjoy God and thank Him every day for the mercy He has shown. The more we grow in the knowledge of God the more we will learn how He has known us before we ever came to know Him. He takes the initiative. We know Him because He first knew us.

Modern technology allows us to have more information at our fingertips than we ever did before. What has that done to our knowledge of God? We need to take a look at our lives—what is going on in our homes, what our personal and family devotions are like—and we need to ask ourselves: Are we living in a relationship with our heavenly Father?

Coming to know God is not just a past-time for those who are inclined to study theology. Knowing God is a matter of life and death. Christ’s priestly prayer associates knowing God with eternal life. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) It is a glorious privilege to be in a relationship with the Lord God of heaven and earth. Our desire to grow in knowledge should always be coupled with humility. Whatever we learn should draw us to the Lord in prayer and praise.