There’s always someone that knows you inside out. It might be a parent, or a best friend, or someone else who understands you and knows what makes you tick. They’ve been around you long enough to see you through the good and the ugly. They’ve been there, they’ve listened, they’ve learned and they know you.
That’s how we get to know those we love, isn’t it? The more time we spend with people, the more we get to know them. It’s often the more we get to know about a person and share with them then the more our love grows for them.
Growing in Love
It’s the same with God. The more time we spend with God, the more we get to know God, the more our love for God grows. This is exactly what Paul prays for the church in Philippi.
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.” (Philippians 1:9)
Paul prays for their love to grow “in knowledge and depth of insight“. He's saying that the way that their love and our love for God will keep growing is by a more intimate knowledge of God.
Knowing in Love
Knowing God helps us to love God more. But it’s not like knowing the answers to a maths test. It’s not the type of knowledge that means we can list what God “likes” on Facebook either.
It’s a personal knowledge – knowing what he loves and doesn’t love, knowing his character. It's deeply and personally knowing who God is.
So, how do we get to know God like this?
God has made it easy for us. He speaks to us through the Bible, and we can speak to him through prayer. The more time we spend with God like this, the better we get to know Him. The better we get to know the God of the Bible, the better we can know who God is and the better we can love him.
How to know God more
We then need to ask ourselves: “How am I showing that I’m getting to know God? What does spending time with God look like in my life?”
Here are some suggestions on how we can spend time with God and know him more:
- Setting aside a regular time to pray every day and read a verse of the Bible is a great way to spend one-on-one time with God.
- Attending a youth group or school Christian group helps you learn more about God with others.
- Combine praying with other daily activities. For example, praying each time you brush your teeth, or short prayers each time the school bell rings. This will help you remember to talk to Him more!
- Have a friend ask you every week what God has taught you. Knowing that someone is going to ask you will remind you to be spending time with God! Remember to return the favour.
How else can we be getting to know God and love God more? Share your ideas below!