How is it we can do so many things God asks us to do and yet, for many, we have seemingly no clue about who God really is? i mean, we say we know who God is, and of course we actually do to a degree, but really getting to know the person whom we say we love takes time and patience. Our abilities to observe and , must change from the way we understand the world — to understanding someone who is not of this world, and is bigger and better than anyone we can imagine. Like an infinitely faceted diamond, there is so much of the Lord Himself to know about, i can’t help but think that if we actually knew Him better, our difficulties and problems would be seen with such a shift in perspective they would become insignificant to the point where we would truly be willing to endure anything to be where our lover is.
What is that old song from back in the 50’s, “Getting To Know You”….you know the one:
(part of tune “Getting To Know You”, Julie Andrews)
How should that old love song NOT apply to our relationship with Jesus? The lyrics seem to fit so well. So just how does one get to know God, and why would anyone really want to know, who *I* think is, the most wonderful, worthy, loveable person, in the entirety of forever, Jesus? John 17:3, ““Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Do you see it? Eternal life with Jesus isn’t just a mere door prize for taking the time from your busy schedule to indulge the King of the Universe. No! He’s God and He dreamed this world up and then made it happen. He’s not a main character on the game board of life, He’s THE one and only person we need to know and be ultimate friends with. Our view of God is too small.
i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late night, cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, the fire fly’s are out by the billion, and every evening is pleasant, peace is our cornerstone.
Matthew 14:23 “When the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.”
Spending time with God is the key to developing the deep, vital relationship we all desperately need. Simply spending time being with Him equips us with the strength and tools necessary to face the challenges of life. We get all we know through our friendship with God. Do you know what you want from God? i’ve concluded that i want friendship with Him, more than anything else.
I’ll be the first to admit that hanging out with God is the greatest joy of my life, yet it’s not always easy—not because He is difficult, but because I am. Still, we must cultivate the discipline of spending consistent, alone time with Him. He is the fertile soil; we are the plants rooted in Him, and grow we must.
The Lord desires for all of us to become mature sons and daughters. Growth requires effort. Are you a son or a daughter? How can you tell? What’s your evidence? I need Jesus to grow, and so do you. None of us is an island unto ourselves, and we cannot mature in Christ apart from Him.
Luke 2:40 says of Jesus, “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
Just as Jesus grew, we too must grow.
In the quiet place, where hearts slow and distractions fade, roots reach deep into unseen soil. There, in holy stillness, we are reshaped, renewed, drinking grace like morning dew. No rush. No performance. Only presence— and the gentle hands of the Gardener drawing life from us.
i suppose it would be easy to ask the question: “What’s in it for me?” The “what about me” crowd seems to, foundationally, be interested in a relationship with God, at least that’s their declaration, but it’s overlaid with a heart posture that wonders what they get out of it, always measuring the profit margin, always measuring on the metrics. Always measuring, incessantly measuring. Friends, it is a “relationship”, not a pecking order, it is a “love relationship” not a merit/demerit system. I’ve got a note on my front door which says, “Please leave your titles outside”, meaning, i know how to relate to you, but i don’t know how to relate to you through the lens of your platform and title. There’s just something gospel-contrary in all that self-elevation. The word “relate” is the root of the word “relationship” and God has made a way for us to relate to Him through Jesus Christ. The Lord made a two-way street for us through the cross of Christ, not just the one way street of an action, but the two way street of interaction. He’s interested in spending time with you and i, and He doesn’t want to chase us down all the time in order to do that. Have you ever had a friend who never called you, but you always called them? And it seemed you were always the initiator? Yea, one of those. And one day you sort of wake up and realize, if you never dialed their number, chances are VERY good you’d probably never hear from them — well, unless they needed something. Many a church goer is like that friend when it comes to a relationship with Jesus.
That relationship with God is the goal of Christianity and it’s where the true joy in being a Christian is found, so if we neglect it, we’re missing the whole point. From the beginning, the missiology of God was/is/will be for us to have a two way street-type of relationship with Jesus. Is your goal, your “skopos” in Greek, merely fire insurance, just something you’re shooting for, or is it a relationship with a person, The Person, who encompasses all you hope for, who drives your life, and motivates your passions? What’s your goal?
Getting to know God requires us to spend time with Him. We can’t know someone without being involved with them. One of the simplest and most powerful ways is by reading His Word. C’mon, let’s be honest—we cannot know the Bible if we never open it. There is no magical osmosis; we can’t tuck it under our pillow at night and hope its truth somehow seeps into our hearts and minds while we sleep.
Reading your Bible is a choice. When we say we’re too busy, we’re really saying it’s not a priority. We’re not reading because we have chosen not to, plain and simple.
In the turning of pages, in the quiet pause between verses, a voice whispers through ancient words. No shortcuts. No sleeping substitutes. Only open hearts and open Bibles— where ink becomes encounter, and knowledge blooms into knowing.
Most all of us have gone into our room to read our Bible, and there on the table is a Bible and one of our favorite magazines. Which one do you think the devil would prefer you pick up? It’s not the Bible. Reading your Bible is a purposeful choice, we have to choose to Get To Know God, we have to aim ourselves at Him, or position ourselves, and purpose to set our feet in the direction of Jesus. Maybe it seems as if the day you met Jesus was a bit “coincidental”, but i can assure you it was not. NOTHING just … happens. i sincerely doubt there just happened to be a, simply by chance, there was a great explosion, all on it’s own, and presto-change-o, the universe was born. That”s quite a stretch, indeed. God purposed to meet you just like He purposed to say, “LIGHT”, and there was. He orchestrated the entire encounter, and now you must purpose to meet Him. A one way street only runs just so far, and a relationship is a two way street.
Prayer is another powerful way of getting to know God. Let’s be honest—if we never talk to someone, it’s nearly impossible to build any real relationship with them, not even a casual acquaintance. It’s silly to claim we know someone when we rarely speak with them.
So talk to Jesus. Tell him all of what’s going on with you. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose by carrying on honest conversation with the Lord. If we will talk to Him, I promise He will talk back—if we will listen.
In the sacred space of prayer, words rise like incense,
simple, honest, unpolished. A child’s voice meets the Father’s ear.
He listens. He answers. In whispers, in peace, in sudden knowing—
friendship with God is born, one honest word at a time.
Did you get that? One honest word at a time.
Plainly spoken, knowing Jesus !IS! the benefit of knowing God. There are other benefits, but that is primary. Praying gets us involved with Him; reading our Bible gets us involved with Him, but is reading and studying His word really enough? i’ve known more than a few, sadly, who read, study, analyze, and get certified in the study of the Bible, yet are quite possibly some of the most spiritually blind people i’ve ever met. They interpret it based on experiences, flesh, and the findings of other “really smart people”. Do you see it? They draw the bulk of what they know from someone else. Podcasts, how-to-pray videos, etc. How is it someone can read the Word of God daily, and not understand even the elementary characteristics of God? We can’t know the Lord based on what someone else says. We’ve got to know Him for ourselves.
Getting to know Jesus is the key. Knowing who He is and How He is …is more important than just being able to quote scripture or pray eloquent prayers. Knowing Jesus is THE key. Ya know what i mean?
As we get to know the Lord, we more clearly discover what He wants for us. Drawing close to Him refocuses our hearts and minds, pulling us away from the distractions and worries of the world. And man, oh man, are we a distracted bunch!
I also believe that the closer we draw to Jesus, the more we naturally become like Him. The nearer He gets to all things, the more all things become like Him.
Most importantly, the more time I spend with God, the more I love Him. To know Him truly is to love Him—because He is the fairest of all. No joke.
Another way to get to know God is through worship and praise. Is worship just going to Sunday service? i see a lot of road signs in front of churches everywhere that say, “Come worship with us”, but when you go, the idea your left with is a far cry from the idea of worship in the Bible. Worship isn’t the words and singing, but a lifestyle with a constant upward pointing to the sovereignty of God as our second nature. Worship is a heart posture, a decision and an action, not merely a feeling. We must discipline ourselves to worship even when we don’t feel like it—especially when we don’t feel like it. At its core, again, worship is a heart posture: it’s the way we lean our hearts toward God.
Friends, in our surrender and bending towards God, in the quiet choice, when feelings fade and emotions run dry, the heart still bows. Hands may rise, knees may bend, but the real worship happens deeper— a steady leaning of the soul toward the One who is worthy, whether the heart sings or simply whispers, “Yes, Lord.”
The Lord deserves our worship, so we should give it to Him. It is His and His alone and there is not another who is worthy of an honorable mention. To reiterate, worship and praise helps us focus on the Lord, not ourselves and not our circumstances; it helps get us out of ourselves. It would probably be good to stop thinking about ourselves so much, and focus on Him so we can put things in perspective. Worship and praise inspire humility and reminds us of the truth of who God is.
Position yourselves to draw close to the Lord and know that getting to know God is the greatest thing in the universe we could ever do. Breathing is at the top of my list of important things to do, and knowing Jesus is more important than breathing.
Shifting gears a little, let me list some of the benefits of knowing God. When we Get To Know Jesus, He shares with us His attributes, like Hope, Peace, Wisdom, Courage, Strength. And there are some other more subtle benefits like rhyme and rhythm in the ebb and flow of our work-a-day world, or diligence, endurance, persistence, humor, perception, intimacy, and joy. In our getting to know the Lord He shares with us His compassion and privilege, grace and reason, His creativity and righteousness, His sanctification and companionship. Those are just a few of the benefits of knowing God, and over time, i have compiled quite a list.
And why would anyone want to know the King of the Universe? To know Him is to love Him, and if anyone has ever met Him they are permanently imprinted by His goodness and grace. They will never be the same, in Jesus Name.
So here’s a question: There are an awful lot of Christians who say they love God yet they seem to know nothing personal about Him. Oh sure, they know all the big stuff like He’s holy, and righteous, and that He’s the only true God and King, but i’m talking about His personal attributes. Honestly, how do you love someone and not know anything personal about them? When you love someone you notice how they laugh, how the sound when they’re serious, how they look when they’re delighted as well as when they’re disappointed. i love my wife, and because i love her i notice her details: how she flairs her nostrils when she is passionate about something, the tone of her voice when she whispers to me in the dark, how she flips her hair or holds her mouth when she’s thinking … things like that. Her details. We say we love God but we don’t know His details. How can that be if we love Him?
Maybe some of us feel we are having a difficult time Getting to Know Him. Here’s some very simple suggestions:
Don’t rush your time with God. There are things He’d like to say to you and, honestly, it’s challenging for Him to talk to us when we are busy talking or we don’t have time to listen. Slow down! Take the time to sit with Him. If we’re not willing to sit with Him a while, why should He share anymore than He does? i think we’ve all suffered a relationship or two where the other person only wanted something from us, and the moment we ceased giving them what they wanted, they were off to the next thing. Is God a priority to you, a preference, be honest, or is he merely an option?
Do you feel you’ve gotten in a rut and don’t feel you’re connecting? Try looking at different ways to spend your time with Him: read a different translation, move to a different spot, maybe ignore your reading plan! and let the Holy Spirit lead you. How about try a different time or place, maybe add a devotional – do whatever it takes. How about just being honest and telling the Lord you feel like you’re in a rut in your relationship with Him and ask Him to help you out of it. Being honest and transparent with the Lord goes a really, really long way to knowing Him better.
Another way distance grows between ourselves and Jesus is by our not sharing with others what God is teaching us. When we don’t share with others what God is doing we can easily begin to feel introverted and in-grown. Not sharing our bread with the poor can discourage us and maybe we stumble into what i call, the doldrums of boredom – find some friends to share with from time to time. Let His testimony out of your mouth.
And of course, none of those suggestions really cut the mustard when we are in a crisis of faith and it is a season of literally just holding on, believing God will change things shortly. You know, we all love a prophetic word of encouragement, and sometimes, sometimes — i think the Lord gives someone a word for us because the world as we know it is about to spin under our feet and, in His mercy, God is giving us something to grip to until our world is repositioned for a new season.
It is a new season. If you will ask Him, He will tell you. If we will draw close to Him, He will draw close you us, and that’s right out of James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Jesus loves you and has been waiting your entire life to be close to the object of His affection, you and i. Getting to know the Lord is the best thing anyone could do. Really really. Think about it
What do we mean by saying, “Knowing Christ”? Faith, Bible reading, doing right, being honest and transparent, loving others are all a means to an end, but in the end, knowing Jesus is the prize. When we say, “I know you”, is that figuratively, literally, euphemistically, or inferentially as in the act of simply passing information around? When i say i know the Lord, it means i have a good idea of what makes Him tick, and what His preferences are. Knowing God means we are more than just acquainted, more than just passing conversationalists. It means we know His joys, His sorrows, what makes Him happy or angry, we know His tendencies, His hopes and dreams.
This has been Outposts, brought to you semi-live from the late evening, cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees lean gently over the rivers edge, and every evening is oh so pleasant. i’m Social Porter and this production has been brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars, Gladys Ward at Select Foods, Bobby Whitmire, Kevin, Perry, and Tommy of the Mebane Freedom League, White Knuckle Studios, and Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.
i hope i’ve not posed too many questions, but i do want you’all to know the questions are posed to encourage us to think beyond our facade, 2-3” below the surface of our presentation face. Do you know what i’m saying?
Hosea 6:3 “So Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD; his going forth is as certain as the dawn; he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Be blessed this week, pray for your neighbor, get involved somewhere, and be a friend to someone. Till we meet again, amen.