Daily Devotions
Knowing God
Title: Knowing God
Reading for August 6: Jeremiah 9-11
Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me..."
Jeremiah 9:23-24
If you go to the "spirituality" section at the bookstore, you'll find lots of titles that talk about things like faith, prayer, hope, patience, finding direction in life, etc.. But what these books are missing is the core of what it really means to be spiritual...
KNOWING GOD!
Some of these books will speak of knowing God, but will completely miss the mark. In his book titled "Knowing God," Deepak Chopra writes, "You don't have to believe in God to experience God," and "God is our highest instinct to know ourselves."
This, of course, is garbage!
This is also nothing new. Paul writes of the pagan idolaters of his day: "Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." (Rom 1:22-23) They did not search God's Word to find God, but rather substituted gods which were devised in their own minds for the knowledge of the true God in heaven.
We cling to these substitute gods because they don't tell us what to do (Rom 1:18). They are mere reflections of ourselves: our desires, our likes, our purposes, our will. That's why we like them. They are subject to us. They serve us.
But it's a lie. Deep down we know this is so. We've made a mess of our lives (read the rest of Romans 1) and we are not happy with ourselves. This form of spirituality is empty and void of substance. We long for something more substantial and satisfying. We long for a relationship with God.
Do you know God? Do you really know him?
If you don't know him, you need to... You don't come to know him by listening to your own heart. The only way is by listening to what he has said in his Word.
Can I help you get to know him? Call or text me if I can help. 770-842-2818. And my email is davidcmaxson@gmail.com.
Father God, thank you for revealing yourself to us! Help us to know you better and thus come to enjoy the very thing we were created for: a relationship with you!
