Want to know God?

Pastor, East Highland Baptist, Hartselle

One of my favorite series of episodes on “I Love Lucy” is Lucy going to Hollywood with her husband where she hopes to meet many celebrities. Various television and movie stars were guests on the show during that particular series, and Lucy’s schemes to meet them always seemed to wind up quite different than she imagined — usually with Lucy embarrassing herself and her husband, Ricky, in front of the celebrity.

I’ve only met a few folks who could be called a “celebrity.” One of them is Tom Lester, who played Eb on “Green Acres.” He came to our church, and after the service, my family had the privilege of taking Mr. Lester out to eat. People recognized him and we caught a glimpse of the difficulty of being a celebrity, even in a place away from home. We also were able to learn some personal details about his life and his walk with the Lord. It was a great time getting to know Tom Lester, the person — not the actor.

Yet One greater than any celebrity or anyone who is living or has ever lived is accessible and knowable. The Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the sovereign Ruler of the universe, knows us intimately and desires that we know Him also. It was the apostle Paul’s great desire to “know Him and the power of His resurrection …” (Phil. 3:10), and “to know” is a phrase used of intimacy and describes a personal relationship.

Jesus Himself said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me …” (John 10:14). We know God by coming to know Christ by faith. Jesus went on to say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). To know God is to know Jesus. And to know Jesus is to believe He is the Son of God; the Christ who came to this earth; lived a perfect, sinless life; died on the cross for our sins; was buried; rose from the grave; and is coming again.

Encounters with celebrities are always temporary and very brief, but an encounter with Jesus is lifelong and lasts for eternity. Want to know God? Admit to God your sins. Believe Jesus is the Savior who can forgive your sins. Confess Him as your personal Lord and Savior.