"Unrecognized"
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Tony Hawk — the most famous professional skateboarder on the planet — loves to tweet about how often he's unrecognized or mistaken for someone else. Some people confuse him for Lance Armstrong, Tom Brady, or even Tony Stark. Even when he reveals his name, some folks say, "Oh, like the skateboarder? I wonder what he's up to these days." How embarrassing! I'm sure some days he'd love to say, "Don't you know who I am?" rather than flying under the radar. But that's a minor slight compared to the lack of recognition given to the Creator of all we see and enjoy.
We're Cross Training to develop our reverence, one of twelve marks of the Master we're working on this year. Reverence comes when we know God, fear him, worship him, and live in holiness. But how can humans know God?
What You Need to Know
When we talk about knowing someone, we usually have two different things in mind. First, we know information. The better you know someone, the more you know about them. In the same way, to know God is to know who he is, to understand his character, attributes, and desires (cf. Jer. 9:24). But we also have a relationship with those we know. You can understand a little about someone (like Tony Hawk!) and not even recognize them when you see them face to face. Job had heard a lot about God "by the hearing of the ear," but in his encounter with God, he humbled himself and repented (Job 42:5-6). Through Hosea, God exposed his people's lack of knowledge about God (Hos. 4:6). But God's goal was to know his people like a husband knows his bride (Hos. 2:19-23; cf. Hos. 6:6).
If we open our hearts, we can look around at creation and recognize the hand of almighty God (Rom. 1:19-20). Of course, observation can't teach us everything, but it should give us a sense of awe at his goodness and power, leaving us wanting to know him more. Do you acknowledge and seek God, or are you among the indifferent? "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Rom. 1:21).
If we seek God, we'll come to know him — not by our wisdom, but by believing what he reveals about himself. He reveals himself in his word: "For ... the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:21). But we see God the clearest through Jesus, God the Son (Heb. 1:1-3). Jesus said, "He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me" (John 7:28-29). Jesus came so that we can live forever. "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). To know Jesus is to know God and to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
What You Need to Do
To contemplate God is to give the mind and heart its highest occupation. Cultivate an adoring interest in who God is. With each passage you read, ask, "who is God?" Meditate on his works (Psalm 143:5). Find comfort at night in his goodness. As David said, "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night" (Psalm 63:6).
And when you learn something about God, imitate it. To see God's face is to be transformed by it (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18). Don't live like those who "profess to know God, but ... deny him by their works" (Titus 1:16). To know God is to love like God (1 John 4:7-12) and pursue his holiness (1 Peter 1:14-17).
Always remember that you are God's, and he is yours (Heb. 8:10-12). It's the bedrock foundation of your identity now. Holding onto this relationship, we'll never fall (2 Peter 1:3-8). For "now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back" (Gal. 4:9). What a "firm foundation" — even in unsteady days — to remember that "The Lord knows those who are his" (2 Tim. 2:19).
Through the Week
- Read (Mon) — Matt. 6:6-13; Jer. 31:31-34; Hos. 4:1-6; Prov. 2:1-8; 1 John 4:7-12
- Reflect (Tue) — How close is my relationship with God?
- Request (Wed) — "Lord, may I come to know you better each day" (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).
- Respond (Thu) — Stay up late or wake up early to meditate on God's steadfast love for you.
- Reach Out (Fri) — What attribute of God do you most want to emulate?
