Stepping Stones: Do You Really Want To Know God?

Transformational Thought

I have an engineering kind of mind, so I have never been much of a reader. English was a class I tried to avoid in high school and especially college. As a result, you probably notice many grammatical errors in these devotionals.

Literature classes would totally frustrate me, because when reading Romeo and Juliet or Julius Caesar, I often thought I would understand and be more impacted by the story if I really knew Shakespeare. You know, his personality, nuances, passions, issues, and especially the experiences of his life.

When watching the TV show Biography, I am so much more interested, intrigued, and impacted when I “know” or “interacted” with the subject. When the subject is Gilligan, Bob Barker, Ronald Reagan, or Robin Williams, as opposed to subjects that never touched my life, my depth of interest in the show and identification are much more profound.

If you were to read my personal journal, your understanding, interest, and enjoyment of my story would be dramatically impacted by whether you knew me personally or not. You see, my daughters love hearing stories about my past, but people who don’t know me could care less about the experiences that make me … me.

Well the Holy Bible, God’s journal, is the same way. The Bible is a great book, filled with life tips and stories that really reveal God’s heart and desires. But to maximize the treasure inside The Holy Bible, you really need to know and be in relationship with the author. Then it amazingly comes alive and can powerfully transform you. Get to know the Author, then He and His journal, the Word of God, will make more sense and have more authority in your life.

Our nature is to write our own journals, not to read or buy into another journal, especially one from an author asking to have authority over our lives. Get to know the author, because the book will come alive and you will find it much easier to transfer lordship of your life from self to God.

Today, ask yourself, “Does the Bible make sense to me?“, “Do I easily practice what it says?”. If you aren’t confident in your answers, ask “How much time a day do I spend relating to and getting to know the author, God?” Read a couple Psalms, or one of Paul’s letters to know God better. But more importantly, spend time in prayer and discussion.

Prayer
Dear Father God, I praise You as the Author of the big story. Thank You for making things so clear in Your word. I confess, I want to take shortcuts at times … not spend time getting to know You or spend time reading Your great storybook, journal, instruction manual. Then I wonder why I am frustrated, insecure, and lost. Thanks for Your Holy Spirit in me helping me digest Your Word and apply it to my life. Help me get out of the way and then follow the Holy Spirit’s direction for my life. I pray in the name of the Author of my salvation, Jesus Christ; and all God’s children say – AMEN!

The Truth
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16