Chaplain’s Corner
June 03, 2016
Getting to Know God
Good Morning Patriots!
How do you view the Bible? For some it is a History Book. For some, it is an Instruction Manual. For some it is a Love Letter. Most of us see it as the Word of God. I consider it the Word of God. But lately I understand that what is most important in life, and what is most important to a Christian, is getting know the God of the Word. Simply reading the Bible is good... even great. Getting to know ABOUT God is a good way to start a relationship. Reading about what He has done in centuries past, is up-building and inspiring. Looking into His Word daily for answers to life's problems, strength, and inspiration is always good. However, many people stop right there, and do not pursue getting to really KNOW GOD, and they lack having the personal, One-on-one relationship that is so vital.
If you go to Church every Sunday with a sense of obligation, and go through the motions of "worship" without ever really feeling that spiritual "connection" that you thirst for, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate your position, and re-think your relationship with God.
If you don't have a prayer life, that is of first concern. Time spent with Him in devotion is critical to having a real relationship with Him. Only going to Him in prayer when times are bad, or when you want something, is going to really curtail your relationship and His ability to bless you. As the good Father, He loves His children, and wants to see them happy and healthy. Happiness is a state of constant joy and peace in our hearts that cannot be diminished, even when going through trying times and circumstances. Healthiness can be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. We need a good dose of all four types, and a working, daily relationship with He Who can and will get us to that point in our lives. It is a process. It will take time. It is worth the effort. But we have to do our part. Salvation is a free gift, but we still have to reach out and accept it. True salvation is when we are totally broken before Him, and accept that we cannot do anything on our own, and are not worthy of the free gift. When we are in that state of mind and heart, truly broken and repentant before Him, we invite Him into our hearts and ask for His Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and take over our lives. We surrender to Him and ask to be transformed into a "New Creation." In that powerful moment, our lives can and will be forever transformed. However, that does not mean that we are suddenly sinless in the flesh, or necessarily cured of ailments, vices, bad habits, etc. It is our Soul and our inner self that is transformed, but the rest of us becomes a work in progress.
We should have a real and natural "hunger" for the Word of God in our lives. We should "thirst" for the waters of Truth and Righteousness. We should daily pursue Him through prayer, study, and devotion. Candidly, we must understand and prepare for the fact that we WILL mess up, and we WILL let ourselves down in our struggle to know Him intimately. However, as long as we constantly strive to move forward instead of backward, and not stall out and stop movement all together, we can and will find that we get closer to Him and know Him more and more. He will speak to us in His own way, unique to each of us, and we can know what He wants us to know. The relationship can be as intimate as we want to make it.
Life today seems to pull us in every direction, and focusing on any one thing can be a challenge. Our prayer life and/or pursuit of Him can be halting and irregular, at best. Some is better than none, but we definitely should be motivated to find a way to increase our time with Him, so that he can bless us as He sees fit, in His own way, in His own time. Simple belief in God is a start, but it is not the end in and of itself. Simple belief needs to be nurtured, worked on, and developed. If we really want to know Him, and not simply know about Him, then we need to take our lives to the next level. Are you up to it?
God Bless you, every one, and:
God Bless America!
Stephen King
Chaplain@3upi.com
Add comment
Comments