Be Known

Be Known
September 1, 2014
1 Corinthians 8:2  "Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God."

Some people have a way of being made known.  I have a friend who can walk into a room, and because of his personality everyone will instantly know he is in the room.  I also have a friend who could walk into a room and be there for hours before someone would notice her.  Her presence is not loud or obnoxious; in fact she can be quite invisible at times.  Either extreme is not necessarily desirable at all times.  It takes maturity to find a balance and temper a strong personality.  Likewise it takes great fortitude for an introvert to come out of his or her shell.  Scripture says that neither is actually important, though, nor is be renown. There is only one thing that matters and that is being known by the Lord.

There are many important people in this world but they may only matter to those in this world.  I can think of a famous scientist, who professes to be an atheist, denying the existence of the Lord or a place called Heaven.  The atheist may be very well known in certain circles but he does not know the Lord.  Even worse, the Lord does not know the atheist.  The Lord knows who he is, but has no relationship with him.  All of the atheist's knowledge and notoriety are of no eternal value.  It is better to be known by the Lord than to be well known.

The Apostle Paul says that knowledge puffs up but love builds up.  He was trying to communicate that worldly knowledge can do nothing for the eternal state of a person's soul, though it make him a great mind or famous.  The only thing that truly matters is to be known by the Lord.  To love the Lord is to be known by the Lord.  Love, the act of loving the Lord, makes a person valuable, because he is known by the Lord.  A man's knowledge does not make him valuable in the Lord's eyes.  Making yourself known when you enter a room is pointless.  Who should care if people know who you are or that you are in a room?  It is better to be known by the Lord than to make your presence known in a room.  The only way to be known by the Lord is to love the Lord.

What you know, who you know, or who knows you---none of that matters to the Lord.  Don't be confused with your identity in the world and being known by the Lord.  Yes, the Lord knows you exist; the Lord knows the atheist exists and even knows the number of hairs on his head.  But the atheist does not love the Lord, therefore has no deep and personal relationship with the Lord.  When the atheist dies, the Lord will have no record of his name in the eternal book of life.  The atheist will go straight to hell, unless he decides to love the Lord.  Only then can an atheist by truly known by the Lord.

You may not be an atheist but my question to you is this: are you known by the Lord?  I am not asking if the Lord knows who you are or how many hairs are on your head.  I am asking if you are known by the Lord.  The amount of love you have for the Lord will measure the depth of His relationship with you.  To be truly known by the Lord is to truly love the Lord.  How much do you love Him?  How well known are you?

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Gal 1:10, 1 Cor