Loving and Knowing God

 It is easy for us, as Christians, to get wrapped up in religion and not relationship. What is the difference? Religion is simply doing things out of habit that we think will please God. So we go to church for Bible study and worship. We give our tithes, and we volunteer to do some good deeds. However, if we neglect loving and knowing God, none of that matters.

God made this very clear to the people through Hosea. (Hosea 6:6)  He said, "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know Me more than I want burnt offerings." Sounds pretty clear to me. So how to do we these things? We better think about it.

We show love to God by spending time with Him. Remember when you fell in love in high school or as a young adult? You spent as much time as you could with that person. You did whatever you could to please them, and none of it was a duty. It all brought you great joy. The same should be true for us and the Lord.

We know someone in much the same way. We talk with them about everything. We are very open and honest about what we think and feel. Also, we want to know exactly what they think and feel. That is why we pray and we study God's Word. As we consistently engage with Him in a daily relationship doing these two things, we know Him, and He will very pleased with us.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Hosea 8-10.