OGRES HAVE LAYERS. Most people have onion layers that you have to peel away in order to get to know them. I’ve been married for over 25 yrs now and my husband will tell you that it wasn’t until year 10 that he REALLY started to get to know me. I admit, I am a difficult and guarded person to know. I don’t trust and that makes it difficult to be friends with me.
Most people know about me, but they don’t really know me. It takes time to get to know someone. Lots of time, listening and asking probing questions to reveal the heart. You have to walk with someone through all seasons of life and not give up on them in a bad season in order to truly know them. Just because you have read a few of my dailies and had a cup of coffee with me does not mean you know me. FB is not reality and we are not friends. Friendship is a long work, not a short walk in the park.
Such as it is with the Lord. Reading a few scriptures and talking in tongues a couple times doesn’t mean you know the Lord. Spouting off a prayer list doesn’t mean you know Him. He reveals Himself glory to glory. It takes years of consistent prayer and studying of His Word to get to really know Him and His ways. God reveals His character to His people through the many seasons of our lives.
I know a lot of people who walk away in difficult seasons because they don’t really know Him. They have not put in the work to seek His face. They have not spent time in their prayer closet or in studying the Word. Sure, many know about Him; but they don’t know Him and it is evidenced in the way they live their life. Paul prayed for the Colossians to grow in their understanding and knowledge of the Lord,
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:9-10
Salvation is a start. Just like marriage is a start. Then we move in together and the real work of getting to know your spouse begins. “Increasing” means getting to know Him more fully. Increase is to become or make greater in size, amount, intensity, or degree; an instance of growing or making greater. This takes work. It is active, not passive. Seeking the Lord is a daily thing, not a one time thing. If you only sought your spouse until you tied the knot, you would soon be divorced.
Search for Him with all your heart and He will be found and reveal to you His deep things. Seek His face evermore. I’ve been with Him now almost 30 years and He reveals more and more to me. An infinite God is so far above our ways, it takes a lifetime for us to understand. And then we won’t even fully understand until we are in His kingdom! Don’t give up in the valley and don’t forget about Him on the mountaintop. He longs to hear from you. While you are at it, dig a little deeper into friendships as well, get to really know someone before you decide who they are.
To Learn More About Pastor Crystal please visit the Leadership Page
