Last night he read a scripture that will not leave me alone. Matt. 7:21-23. This is the passage that talks about someone saying they DID all these things for the Lord, but then He replies back, "Away from me, I never knew you." I will come back to that!
I had a conversation with a friend not too long ago about her salvation. She had been to our church and was just not sure about the way we did things and the need to say a prayer and all that. I know the scripture states that we have to confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts then we will be saved. She was telling me that she does believe - confessing with her mouth - and she knows that Jesus is the Son of God and she believes that and all, but it just didn't sit well with me. Some may think it is not my place to know if it sits well or not..... but still, it was confusing to her and i would say... didn't sit well with her either.
So then after hearing this scripture last night I began to wonder. "I never knew you." keeps echoing in my mind for my friend. Lord God knows us, after all, He created us. But to know us only the way the Father does can only begin with us after our confession. He "opens" the door or better yet is knocking on our heart's door to start that relationship, but we have to be the one to answer and invite that relationship to be started and then to grow.
"Know" in this passage is to know, come to know, experience... But again this can only be done after we have taken the step, even if it is responding to all His nudges or Holy pushes, to know Him first. He loves us and already loves us first, but He will not push Himself on us. We have to do the inviting!
So that leads me to my next thoughts - a person that says they know Jesus and believe in Him and all - do they know Him..... well, I mean, are they KNOWN by Him? How do we know? Do we have to say that sinners prayer like the Southern Baptist Church says? Let's see...
According to this scripture -
1) Words will not save you. To just say you believe and then have no heart change - not good. Words are not enough. According to Romans 10:10 we have to confess and believe.
2)Works will not save you - to just do good things, be a good person, want to have a good heart and so therefore living a good life - it will not save you!! Must be a heart change!
3) There must be a genuine relationship. This is something that I don't believe anyone can tell you whether your relationship is genuine. Yes, we on the outside can look for fruit, but you have to know in your heart. Again, there is a heart issue and you will know.
4) A genuine relationship or a real relationship with the Lord will result in following God's will. You will grow in your desire to know Him more. You will grow in your desire to be in fellowship with other believers. You will make your profession known to man - whomever that may be. You will want and seek to know what His plan is for your life and your DAY. You will begin to realize what your other options were and as result of that you will grow in your desire to tell others!
I think that when there are a ton of questions in one's heart then there may not have been a time that a person truly came to KNOW Him. It is not so much about what one does on the outside............... anyone can go thru the motions...............but it is what one knows has happened on the inside.
You may know Him, But the most important thing - Does He really KNOW you?
6 comments:
I agree Leigh. I believe when you are truely saved, you have a peace in your heart that assures you. I may have many questions, but that one was answered a long time ago. Thank you Lord for saving me and the peace I have about it.
What a great post! Beautifully written and increases my desire to know the Lord more and more so that I may be truly known by Him. Oh to be a friend of God's!!!
Overwhelming - just the thought that He knows me and is a gentleman, standing at the door, knocking, asking to know me!
Thank you!
I've grown in my desire to be in fellowship with other humans.
Leigh....thank you for 'visiting' me. It was so wonderful to hear from you again. I'm so glad I stopped by to read this post. Last Sunday I wrote something you might be interested in reading; it's along this same line about 'knowing God'...check this out when you have time: http://ponderinginhispresence.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-god.html
Great to hear from you and hear your heart.
Blessings,
Joy
PS. Did I ever tell you how much everyone enjoyed their wallets/purse at Christmas? They were a great hit!!!! Thanks!
Leigh,
Thank you once again for hitting the nail on the head, being bold, and not being afraid to speak the truth.
Ginger :)
Sister,
This is a wonderful post. It would seem that you have left a very poignant truth on our doorsteps. That is to essentially say, that as with all things, we are regarded by the contents of our hearts more than the contents of our words or even our actions. God, being as he is, can see to the truth of why we do what we do.
This is one of the most overlooked precepts by Christians in the western world today. We keep trying to achieve things as though we had additional input in our salvation beyond the decision to accept the truth of Jesus' sacrifice.
When I talk to people in a similar state of mind as your friend, I always pray that I can discern the root cause of what I am perceiving. I discover, many times, that while the person believes in the basic tenets of our faith, they may not be entirely invested in the awesome, transformational power of the free grace of God through his son.
Oh sure, from their perspective, God's grace is sufficient for everyone...everyone, that is, but them. During those times, it is a good idea just to stop what we are doing, quiet ourselves and offer to pray with that person, right there on the spot. It's back to basics time.
Thanks again for a great post.
T. Michael Cart
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