In 1996 I was a press manager for the Olympic Village, home to athletes from 192 countries who were competing in the Atlanta Games. One of my responsibilities was to escort heads of state and Hollywood celebrities through the village so they could mingle with the Olympians.
I recall the night the other press officers and I escorted more than 40 celebrities into the village for a special event. All was going well until a couple standing next to me began shouting, “Why aren’t the cameras on us? Don’t you people know who we are?”
I didn’t know who the couple was nor did most of the world at the time. A few years later, however, they—along with their children—landed their own reality show and got to be known by the masses as they had desired.
God knows us, but do we truly know Him? Jesus said, “This is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3). But many people today have a different view—that it’s more important to know and be known by others than it is to know and be known by our Creator.
As the apostle Paul helped the Galatian church cling to their newfound faith, he addressed this issue, writing, “Now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?” (Galatians 4:9). In other words, God alone provides what truly satisfies.
Some may choose to seek their own fame, but there’s something far greater. God calls us to “truly know [Him] and understand that [He is] the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24). May we turn to Him today and experience the joy and life found in His presence.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 17:1-15
More:
Read Philippians 1:9-11 and consider what Paul reveals about the importance of knowing and understanding God and His ways.
Next:
How can human praise cause us to take our eyes off God? What does it mean for you to know and be known by Him?
Gary Shultz on November 3, 2015 at 5:41 am
It is such a pleasure to know God knows us. True building blocks of faith, to have tested and known the depth and richness of God’s love, not that there will, or has been a shortage, but that press of His love is the essence of my relationship. I know there are many folks smarter, more popular, and much better looking than me, but with all my being I know God has opened fully His love to me. I’ll take that any day. Thanks……96, you must have been very young.
Tom Felten on November 3, 2015 at 9:27 am
Roxanne, when I try to promote my views and my ways instead of God’s, it consistently leads to friction and heartache. May I find my all in Him today—worshiping Him and growing in my knowledge of Him!
Roxanne Robbins on November 3, 2015 at 1:29 pm
What’s fascinating to me is that man’s hunger to be known and cherished by the masses is typically movitated by narcissism whereas God’s desire to be known by all men is motivated by deep, unadulterated, sacrifical love for us.