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Knowing God
One
day George Muller was out visiting in the home of a Christian couple.
They had a little girl, named Abigail. Knowing he was a great man of
faith, once he was all alone, she came up and asked George Muller if he
would pray for her - that God would give her a multi-colored woolen
ball. The elderly Mr. Muller answered that he would pray for her; but
she must also pray. She agreed.
They both knelt down and
prayed. The little girl prayed first, sharing how much she wanted a
woolen ball in multi-colors. After she had finished, Mr. Muller bowed
his grey-haired head, putting his hand on hers, and prayed: Here is a
child who wishes to have a woolen ball in many colors. Nobody knows
about this, and I too will not do anything about it. This is Your
business. And that was all he said.
Upon ending these words,
he paused for a few seconds as though he was still in conversation with
God. Then, after getting up, he told the child that in two days God
would give her the woolen ball. And indeed, after two days, she did
receive the ball.
On his next visit, he did not ask if she had
gotten the ball; rather, he asked if she enjoyed playing with it? he
asked her whether she found the woolen ball a delight! Why
did he ask in that way? He had the accumulated learning of several
decades. For over ninety years Muller had interacted with the God
through the Holy Spirit. Thus, he not only believed in God, he had also
become intimately acquainted with the God he believed in. Sadly, that
is exactly what is lacking in so many Christian lives. There is a
belief in God, but a lack of knowing the God they believe in.
The
most precious thing we have in this life on earth, as Christians, is
not Bible Study, or an accumulation of spiritual knowledge. The most
important thing we have in life is not Bible knowledge; though Bible
knowledge should lead us to God. The most precious thing we have in
this life is the ability of getting to know God on an intimate basis.
And while many boast of their knowing God, how few there are whose
lives demonstrate they have had year after year of dealings -
transactions - with God. This is how George Muller became intimately
acquainted with God. Do you know of another way?
Is not this
intimacy the sense referred to by Jesus in the statement, ".
. .
. , I never knew you, depart from me you who are working lawlessness!"
(Matt. 7:23 YLT)? The subject at hand was the kingdom - the millennial
reign (v21). So He could not be referring to the unsaved, as
many
like to believe. How do we know this? The unsaved have no part in the
kingdom. You cannot lose something that is not yours to begin with.
Only the saved - only Christians - can jeopardize their part in the
kingdom. Which begs the question:
How well do you know God?
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