Knowing & Being Known

For many around the world, life is getting lonelier. The number of Americans who have no friends has quadrupled since 1990. Certain European countries have up to 20 percent of their population feeling lonely, while in Japan, some elderly folks have resorted to crime so they can have the companionship of inmates in jail. Entrepreneurs have come up with a “solution” to this loneliness epidemic—rent-a-friend. Hired by the hour, these people will meet you in a caf;…

Melchizedek appears from nowhere in Genesis and we know nothing about what happens to him afterwards. He foreshadowed Jesus: ‘Resembling the Son of God, he continues to be a priest without interruption and without successor’ (Hebrews 7:3, AMP). The writer demonstrates the superiority of Jesus (Melchizedek’s priesthood) to that of any other priest (of Levi) (verses 1 to 10). Jesus, a priest in the order of Melchizedek, is a righteous king of peace. Melchizedek&rsquo…

Most of us long to feel truly known by those we love. That makes sense because we were created in God’s image—He also desires to be intimately understood and loved by us. Just as you don’t want to be known for only the superficial details of who you appear to be, it’s not enough to simply know about the Lord. He wants us to learn how He thinks and feels, what’s important to Him, and what His purposes are. Of course, it’s impossible for us…

Listen What is your greatest desire? We often read a few verses in Psalm 37 and assume that it means God will give us whatever we want. It’s not uncommon for someone to talk about a prayer request and then add, “God promised to give me the desires of my heart.” But in context, that scripture reveals the Lord’s principle for purifying our desires and issues a call for devotion to Him. To delight in the Lord means to take pleasure in discovering more…

Listen The Israelites themselves grumbled against God and against Moses (Numbers 21:4–5). Despite all that God had done for them, they were not satisfied and rebelled against him. Their rebellion could not go unchecked, and so God initially sent judgment on the people (verse 6). God’s ultimate plan though was to redeem and bless his people, restoring their relationship with him. They confessed their sin and ‘the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and…

Listen Former England Football Captain, David Beckham, recounts being sent off in the 1998 World Cup Finals: “It was probably the longest walk in my life… looking back I’m not sure what thoughts were going through my mind: it was a swirl of fear, guilt, anger, worry and confusion. My head was spinning… I walked into the dressing room. The rules stated that I had to stay in there for the remainder of the match. England lost. We were out of the World.…

Listen Generosity is a beautiful characteristic in people. We love and admire generosity. How do you think of God? Do you think of him as a little bit mean or tight-fisted? Or do you think of him as extraordinarily generous? God’s generosity is seen in the natural world. For example, there are over 25,000 varieties of orchids. The orchid is just one of 270,000 species of flowers. God does not do things by halves. In our galaxy there are over 100 billion stars like our.…

Listen I was listening to a Bible reading plan on the YouVersion app when I heard Deuteronomy 7:9 in the Good News Translation. “Remember that the Lord your God is the only God and that he is faithful. He will keep his covenant and show his constant love to a thousand generations of those who love him and obey his commands,” I thought to myself, is it possible that Jesus would wait for a thousand generations to come back? How many generations have passed since…

Listen My curiosity got the best of me. I had to ask OpenAI’s, ChatGPT who God was. Here’s what it said. “God is a concept that varies greatly depending on cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs. In general, God is typically viewed as a supernatural being or force that created and governs the universe, as well as being all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. The nature and characteristics of God are described in various religious texts and,…