Not Interested

Not everyone is interested in knowing me. I understand. I’m not rich nor am I famous. I do not have any clout or any world wide influence. I cannot pardon anyone’s offenses and give them a free “get out of jail card.” I cannot predict the weather, or tell the difference between a wise or a foolish financial investment. 

Though I’ve had first aid training, I can’t guarantee that I could save your life. I am directionally challenged so you could never rely on me to successfully guide you on a hike, even with a map. 

I’m not physically strong, cannot read blueprints and do not like heights, so I could never build you a house. 

My friends know me and like me. But I am not a perfect friend. Sometimes my ideas can feel overbearing to them. I don’t mean to be overbearing with my ideas, it’s just that sometimes I feel really passionate about what I think is a good idea, for them. 

Oh well. I accept the fact that I am not all things to all people at all times. But, here’s my question: what holds people back from wanting to know God who could be all things to all people at all times if only they believed. 

      Worth Knowing

When I was a kid, God seemed unreachable and unknowable. God, like the Pope, lived far away in a foreign country, spoke a different language, and had no interest in a commoner like myself. And though I did not know the Pope any better than I knew God, it was common knowledge that I was supposed to follow their decrees; obey your parents, partake in the sacraments such as confession, communion, prayer and going to church. Even though I did those things, I didn’t get to know God or the Pope any better. 

I suppose if I’d known someone who knew the Pope, they may have introduced him to me or at least given me some personal insights about the man. But there was no way I could waltz into the Vatican and meet the Pope for myself. 

The Pope is a very important man. I will most likely never meet him. But thankfully, I don’t have to in order to know God. I’ve gotten to know God, but not by way of the Pope. Instead, I’ve gotten to know God by way of Jesus. 

Jesus makes a very bold statement to his followers when he says, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.” 

If we want to know God, we have to start with Jesus. “And why is that?” you might ask.

Well, it’s not because we are not smart enough, strong enough, or wise enough, to know God. But, starting with Jesus reminds us that God is God and we are not. 

Jesus, reminds us, that as awful as his death was on a cross, as awful as it was for him to be forsaken by God, as awful as it was for him to be assailed by torrential downpour of sin upon himself, he endured it so we didn’t have to. 

Think about the sin of unbelief and where it leads. I know where it led me; to a dead end, where I nearly ended my life. I honestly thought I could live well without anybody’s help. Then, miraculously, Jesus showed up and showed me that even though I thought I could and then realized I couldn’t, it wasn’t the end of the world. It was just the end of my disbelief and a new beginning with a belief in his power to save. 

Why Bother?

Why bother knowing Jesus? God is knowable and reachable. Just ask his son, Jesus. When we know him, then we know God.