31 Days of Joy: Get to Know Him

“A relationship with God is the best relationship you can have.

You can be sure that it will last forever.”

― Anonymous

Get to know Him.

Helping us stay “connected” has become big business in our culture. Smart phones, Facebook, and Twitter give us instant access to friends, family, work, and the world. But how much effort do we invest in connecting with our Heavenly Father? The bible shows that joy increases because of our increasing relationship with God. The bible says that joy is a gift to those who belong to Jesus. The Lord designed us to relate to Him. That’s what it means to be made in His image (Gen. 1:26). We’ve been given a spirit that can communicate with His Spirit. Just look at the earth and the heavens above. Although God is the Creator of all these things, He can never interact with a mountain or a star as He does with you. There is no higher honor that He could have given us than to be made in His image. God wants you to discover Him and experience Him a relationship with Him! So what does it take to begin a relationship with God? Wait for lightning to strike? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you? NONE of these. God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him. We have to fall in love with God for who He is. The first step for closeness with the Lord is getting to know Him—who He is, what He does, how He thinks, and what He desires. Even though God is invisible and inaudible to our physical senses, a close relationship with Him is cultivated the same way human friendships are—through time spent together, communication, and vulnerability, and shared interests. The more time you spend with God, the more you will get to know God. It's not hard, but you have to start somewhere. Some Christians confuse knowing the Lord with knowing about Him. But no experience we have with Him or fact we learn about Him should ever be a strictly academic pursuit. Rather, such knowledge ought to continually transform us, influence others, and prepare us for heaven.

Focus Scriptures:

Psalm 68:3

May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Joy in Action Today:

Get to know the same way you would get to know a new friend. Get to know Him by by reading your bible. Talk to Him by praying. In your prayer time, ask God to teach you how to get to know Him better.