God may be closer than you think, but can God be known?
The wonderful truth is yes.
But to answer this fully, I have got some more questions which I will provide answers for directly from the Bible and I hope this will lead you into knowing God for yourself.
Can God be known? How approachable is God?
Well, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice:
If anyone is thirsty, let them come to Me and drink.
John 7:37
Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within them.”
Also God says:
Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13
If we are putting ourselves first all of the time and chasing after ‘things’ God will need us to turn away from them.
Why? Imagine being in a conversation with someone but they are constantly looking at something else while you are talking – they are obviously not interested in you!
..there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is none but Me.
Isaiah 45:22
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”
Jesus wants to lift off our heavy load of fear, or worry, or lust, or anger, or whatever it is.
But that doesn’t mean that he then leaves us on our own – he has a plan for each one of us. (That is the meaning of the ‘yoke’ in the following verse):
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Can God be known? Even though God is invisible he is always near and he wants us to respond to him. Jesus said:
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
Revelation 3:20
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with Me.”
We′re not as good as we think we are
Isn’t it strange that a bank robber may look down on a house burglar because they would never break into someone’s house – that is just wrong in their eyes!
Or a murderer looks down on a paedophile because they see that as being horrible.
And so it can go on and on.
We have all got this inbuilt mechanism to excuse our actions, but we like to criticize others to take the ‘heat’ out of our own wrong doings.
When Jesus walked on the Earth people knew that he did no wrong, he’s perfect and I reckon we would all feel ‘unclean’ in his presence.
The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’
Psalm 14 :1-3
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no-one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt;
there is no-one who does good, not even one.”
If we live our lives without God, what does He think of that?
Whoever rejects the Son (Jesus) will not see life, for God′s wrath remains on him.”
John 3:36
For those who believe that they can do absolutely anything in this life and get away with it because: ‘death is the end’ God says:
Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.”
Hebrews 9:27
What will God do if I want to turn to Him?
Jesus said:
For My Father′s will (that is God) is that everyone who looks to the Son (Jesus himself) and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:40
But it isn’t just up to us.
He doesn’t want us to work at being as good as possible to achieve a high enough score so that God will let us into heaven.
Can God be known? Well he actually wants us to be with him and he supplies ‘grace’ which is a non-judgemental all embracing love to draw us to himself.
We just need to have faith that he really does provide this grace for us:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-10
I want to turn to God
Remember, it’s not like we make a move towards him and then Jesus could reject us.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions (my sins and faults).
Psalm 51:1-5,10
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge.
Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Jesus is the key to knowing God. Jesus said:
I am the way and the truth and the life.
John 14:6
No-one comes to the Father (God) except through Me.
If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”
If you haven′t already, find some other Christians to worship with, share with, and listen to good Christian teaching.
Please come back to this site again!
See a similar article: What is God like?
If you haven’t got a Bible, see the Bible Hub online (opens in a new window).
Kneeling image: thanks to The Pictorial Dictionary published by The Educational Book Company, London.
Hi
The date of Jesus’ birth does not relate to his actual date of birth, it replaced a ‘pagan’ festival, (like the official Queen’s birthday not being her true birthday).
I haven’t actually gone into the details of Jesus’ birthday, but here is a web site http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/sukkoth.htm that calculates it at the end of September, beginning of October.
Hope that helps
from Peter
i am a Jew and to find Sheep and sheperds out on the hills in Israel in December is impossible we take the sheep and place them in folds by the 15th October the weather then is very wet and cold