Listening To & Being With The LORD…

My dear friends, the main way that we know God
is to know what He said, what He has revealed.

There is an experiential aspect to knowing God and it is beautiful and real.

But feeling Him is not the main way that we know Him—
we often think it is, but it isn’t.

We know Him by knowing what He said.

And we can only know what He has said

by reading what He has said.

This is comically simple, my friends—beautifully uncomplicated.

Some say or think: “I don’t read the Bible much, but I’m close with God—

I know Him well, He’s with me every moment of the day!”

Oh my Christian brother or sister,
you only know that He is with you every moment
because He said He would be. 🙂 (Matthew 28:20, Deuteronomy 31:6)

But honestly, the idea that we can grow close to the LORD
without (or with barely) reading His Word
is simply not accurate.

Have you ever said this to a family member or close friend?

“You know, ever since I stopped listening to your words,
I just feel extra close to you…
Really! It’s so cool:
when I look back, you & I really started connecting more deeply
the moment I started tuning out your voice & ignoring what you say!”

Do deployed soldiers feel closer to their spouse & children
when they are away for a year or more
and have limited opportunity to listen to them & talk with them?
Do they hope to get deployed overseas as often as possible
so they can grow closer to their families?

Do you really feel close to loved ones
whom you only watch movies with and play video games with,
with whom you rarely ever talk and listen to?

Do the deepest friendships in your life
have the least amount of words spoken?

Yes, there can be moments/stretches of silence with a dear friend
when we truly do feel extremely close to them without saying a word,
but that closeness comes on the foundation of years of spending time together
speaking & listening to each other.

And even some men
who say little or few words with their closest male friends,
there is still a foundation of timely, communicated words
that helped to start the friendship & strengthen it.)

Should local churches encourage people to get to know each other
by saying nothing & only smiling/nodding/waving? 🙂

Exactly.

They why do we think it is any different with the Lord Jesus?

Why does Christ constantly say, “Those who have ears to hear,
listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches”?
(Revelation 2: verses 7, 11, 17, 29; Revelation 3: verses 6, 13, 22)

In John 15:7, the Lord Jesus connects
remaining in Him
with His words remaining in us!

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you…”

My dear friends, reading the Bible isn’t primarily holy homework…
it isn’t mainly a chore that we just have to get done
so we can move on to being with God.

Reading the Bible

• consistently,
• prayerfully,
• expectantly,
• humbly,
• submissively,
• thoughtfully

is the main way that we “be with God.”

Let’s make the choice to read His Voice.

Read the Word to know the Lord.