HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF GOD KNOWS YOU? The apostle Paul says, "If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8:2-3
Do we still love the Lord? Do we still truly love Him? Do we still have a deep relationship or real intimacy with Him? Is this relationship based on information received from others, or on a personal walk with Him? Does the flame of our first encounter still remain? Or are we merely going through religious motions?
- Is our knowledge of God personal or borrowed?
Jesus Himself asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15). Job 42:5: "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." If we make no personal effort to build and maintain a relationship with God, then our knowledge of God is questionable.
- Is our love self-interested?
If your entire prayer life comes down to you, your own person, and your own soul, that means you are a materialistic Christian, and your relationship with God is purely for profit — meaning what you will get from Him. The apostle James 4:3 could thus say, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
- What is your attachment to the presence of God?
If someone else always has to insistently remind you before you enter God's presence, you should question your love for Him. King David could say, "a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere" (Psalm 84:10), "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD!'" (Psalm 122:1).
- Your attachment to serving God
Do you always need there to be a special guest in a congregation before you put yourself to work in the house of God? Moreover, being a member of a department in the local church (worship, protocol, welcome, etc.) is a duty for every child of God — it is like maintaining your own house. Jesus Himself said, at 12 years old, that He had to be about His Father's business (Luke 2:49). TO SERVE GOD IS TO SEEK THE SALVATION OF SOULS AND THEIR GROWTH. Zeal for the house of God must consume us (Psalm 69:9).
- What do you give to God?
King David could say, "I will not give to the LORD that which costs me nothing" (1 Chronicles 21:24). When we love someone, we offer them our very best. Our service to God must be excellent.
- What is your attachment to His Word?
Do you have a physical Bible? Do you still feel joy when you read the Word of God? Are you a "wheelbarrow Christian" who always needs to be pushed by others to read the Word of God? Do you only hear His Word on Sundays at church, or when gathered with other believers?
- Testimonies
When was the last time you gave testimony of God's work in your life? Are you waiting for Him to move mountains in front of you before you testify? What about the breath of life, your health, and that of your loved ones?