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By Mike Caton

John 14:7, “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

How well do we, do you, know God? What kind of relationship do we have with him? I probably know thousands of people, and you do too. (Remembering their name when I see them is another story!) But the vast majority of those folks are simply acquaintances. We have crossed paths somewhere before, maybe a sister church, maybe I shop where they work, maybe we have a mutual friend, or something. I know their face, but that is about it. There are far less folks who I really know something about. The people I regularly attend church with, for example. I love those folks, they are my friends, we have many things in common. But there are more things I don’t know about them than I do. And we can keep tightening that circle up; close friends, extended family, immediate family, spouse, and we know more and more about those folks, we are closer to those folks.

And simply put, the more time you spend with someone, the better you get to know them. As a child, our parents and siblings are the ones we are always around. They are the ones who care for us, provide for us, and so forth. Later we meet someone special and begin spending our time with them, and we get to know them better. It is the same with knowing God, we need to spend our time with him, put forth the effort to know him better. And Jesus tells Thomas it is through himself, through Jesus, that we get to know the Father.

Think about that for a few minutes, and then ask yourself how well you really know God. And think again about the time you spend with him. Plain and simple, that is how you get to know God, spending time with him. These things are obvious; reading his word, praying to him, gathering with his people, conforming to his pattern, listening, showing his love to others, and the list can go on. But if you really want to know God, and you want to know him better, you must spend time with him, think deeply about him. Thomas and the others have done that for the past three years. How much time have we spent with Jesus?

Father, help me strive to know you better. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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