Perhaps we know all of the right answers. God is our Father. God is our Shepherd. God is my Savior. But how do we know that? And how does that affect our daily living? Until recently, I personally did not know or even seek to know my God on a personal level. Devotions stagnate to mere scientific gathering of facts.
It is at that point that one must turn to those much wiser then oneself. I was given a book by a close friend of mine at camp by Mardi Collier:
What do I know about my God? The premise of the book is a guided Bible study method that is continual. You can always work on it... at church, at school, at work. Every time the Word of God is presented, publicly or privately, learn what the passage tells you about God or how does something apply to your life. For example, the author recommends that you begin with Psalm 1. Once I finished my first read through I had created the categories "My God is In Control" and "What Should I Love". The next day, added "God Is My Father" and "My God Should Be Feared". The best part about this system is you can either create new categories or you can add to your already established categories. The purpose is to gradually build up your own personal counseling book.
The Holy Spirit illumines His Word to us. We have the responsibility to learn what the Bible teaches and actively pursue Christ-likeness. But how can you become like someone unless you know them? When I am around my best friend, I find that I sometimes take on some of her mannerisms like the way she tells stories, or laughs, or gets excited about different things, and simply longing to spend more time with her then we possibly can. When I spend time with my Best Friend, I find myself thinking the way He does, being excited about what He does, and continually talking with Him (yes, it does look crazy when I'm walking around campus having a silent conversation... complete with facial expressions).
Our God is there, knowable, and always ready for a good chat.
1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Philippians 3:8-10 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.
Because of Him,
Missa
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