How to Grow in Your Knowledge of God (Start With Worship Part 3)

 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.

~2 Peter 3:18

 
We have established that worship requires focus, a choice, and knowledge of the object of our praise.

While we can have a knowledge of God independent of belief, we cannot know God apart from a relationship with His Son, Jesus, (John 14:6).  Through a relationship with the Son, we come to know the Father.  We begin to understand His character, recognize His actions, and believe His promises.  Jesus, the Author of our faith, by the power of His Spirit in us, gives us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to love our great God.  

To know God through Jesus is to enter the Paradise our first parents lost; and like Adam and Eve before they fell, we have good work to do in the Garden.  We have the great privilege of cultivating beauty and fruitfulness through a living, active relationship with God.  This is a life of worship.  And He has not left us without tools for the job.


How He Helps Us Know Him

1.  Jesus~  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).  
We have the image of the invisible God in Jesus.  He is the Word made flesh who lived, walked, loved, and talked among us.  Not only do we have eye witness accounts of His life in the four gospels, we have the whole of scripture describing, echoing, prophesying His reality.  From cover to cover, the Bible is all about Jesus- He is the radiance of the glory of God (Heb 1:3).  Read it and you will know Him.
  
2.  Holy Spirit~ ...these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10).
We were once children of darkness, but in Christ, we have been reborn. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are born into God's kingdom of light.  And though we cannot see Him, He has not left us as orphans.  The same Spirit who gave us new life, now lives within us (1John 4:13).  The Spirit guides, helps, comforts, rebukes, teaches, and reveals the character of God in and through us (Galatians 5:22-25).  You want to know God?  Listen to and follow His Spirit; He is closer than your very breath.

3.  Faith~  Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  
God is the author of our faith.  Our very ability to trust and believe Him is a gift of His Spirit in us.  He gives us the ability to believe, to trust, and we must practice using this gift in order that it does not lay dormant and ineffective in us.  His word is full of promises for which we can trust and believe Him.  God is faithful and He cannot lie; therefore, if He promises something we can expect He will fulfill that promise according to His perfect will.  He is trustworthy ~ believe Him to know Him.

4.  Memory~  He has made his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate (Psalm 111:4).   
Humans possess short and selective memories which often fall prey to present doubts and overwhelming circumstances.  God has given us memory to use for our good and His glory.  Give yourself regular history lessons.  Remind yourself constantly of God's care in the past...to you and to others.  Write it down for yourself and your children.  Rehearsing His faithfulness of yesterday will strengthen your faith and sharpen your vision to see Him actively caring for His children in the trials of today.


We worship what we treasure.  Do you want to treasure God?  Get to know Him.
The better we know Him, the more we will treasure Him.  
The more we treasure Him, the more we will worship Him.


Other posts in this series:
Part 1
Part 2