I remember a cartoon where a person in tunneling out of jail and has dug and dug and dug only to final tire out and head back to his cell if only he had gone a short distance further he would have been to freedom. We do not know how much further or when something will occur, but we must continue to work for it will come.

“⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ ⁷He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” – Acts 1:6-8 (ESV)

Jesus was letting them know that it is not for them to know when everything was to happen, but know that it would happen. Until then they had work to do in spreading the Gospel. We cannot know when Jesus is coming back, but until then, we have work to do in spreading the Gospel. We are working for God.

We should be taking pride in our work and not give up. It may seem as though we will never get there, but we are getting right where God wants us to be. We have to keep digging, even when tired, keep digging. Our reward is in the next scoop, the next person we share with, the next action we take on behalf of God. We are to keep working as Jesus said in verse 8 above, “you will be my witness”.

Are you getting tired and wanting to give up? Are you willing to keep digging? We do not know when Christ is coming again, don’t we have an obligation to keep working the plan that has been laid out for us?

”²⁴This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” – John 21:24 (ESV)

There are things that we know and hold on to. John was a witness to the great things that Jesus did in his time on earth. Thanks to his witness, we are able to read about them and decide for ourselves.

Before you decide, we have to know the rest of the story. Paul Harvey was a gentleman on radio when I was younger who would begin by giving a bit of information that most folks were familiar with and then would proceed with telling “the rest of the story” and fill in some of the “other” details that made everything come to life.

“²⁵Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” – John 21:25 (ESV)

There is always more to the story that may or may not be known to everyone. It is up to us to “dig deeper”. That is what I am doing here. I want to know more and therefore am doing my level best to learn more by studying God’s Word. I am looking for more to allow God’s Word to come to life in my life.

Will you spend time learning “the rest of the story”? What is there that you want to know more about? How will you know if you do not “dig deeper”? Will you know and are you thirsting for more?

Just having information about something or someone does not mean that we know. It is our deep understanding and continuous relationship that gives us the knowledge.

I have a friend that I have known for a good while and consider one of my best friends. I will say that I have allowed us to grow distant and our relationship is certainly not what it once was. Due to this lack of relationship, I am not sure what is going on in his life and I am pretty sure he feels the same. I cannot expect to have an eternal knowledge of this friend if I am not in a continuous deep relationship with him.

“²since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” – John 17:2-3 (ESV)

In order to have eternal life, we must know God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. When I speak of knowing, it is a deep understanding and continuous relationship. Even the worst have information about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, what is missing is the understanding of and relationship with them. We have to listen and obey, give our thoughts, and commune with them to grow our relationship. When we dive into that relationship, we are able to experience all that they have for us, including eternal life.

What type of knowledge do you have of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? How is your relationship with them? Do you know in a way to have eternal life?

I am always amazed that when a child yells for mom (using that term) in a crowd, mom turns around. Not every mom, but mom of the child. She knows the sound of her child’s voice amid the crowd noise and all else that is going on.

“¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” – John 10:14-15 (ESV)

Just as the mom knows, God knows us. When we cry out, he can distinguish our voice and immediately comes to our aid.

Think now of the baby sitter that was hired to care for a child. In a similar scenario of lost in a crowd, the child may only yell for help like every other child. The sitter may not know the voice over the crowd and commotion of the event. The child is aware of who is to be caring for them and yells out the name, the sitter may not be as keen to hear from the child. (Please understand that I am in no way vilifying sitters.)

It is the one closest to the child that comes to the aid, and the child knows if I call for mom (using that term), she will hear me and come running. We know mom and more importantly, mom knows us. God knows us and we know him.

When we are in a situation, are we calling on the one we know? Will we allow God to be the one to come to our aid? Who are you calling out to in your time of need? Do you know God; He knows you.

Have you ever learned something only to refute that learning by challenging the possibility of it being true? Depending on the program you subscribe to in determining your personality type, I am an Owl or Thinker. I am one of those that needs all the details in order to say that I know something. I do not really refute what I learn, only ask questions to understand.

Jesus healed the man born blind and the Pharisees grilled him to prove that Jesus was a sinner and had done wrong on the Sabbath day. This is a far cry from the man that was healed.

“²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.’ ²⁵He answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’” – John 9:24-25 (ESV)

This man was ecstatic that he could now see. He knew that this man, Jesus was special, although why he was not sure. All he knew was that he was healed. Later in the account of the event, the man met back up with Jesus and believed in him once he learned who he was.

“³⁶He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ ³⁷Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’ ³⁸He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.” – John 9:36-38 (ESV)

Are we more like the Pharisees who look to get answers that fall in line with what we want or like the man healed who believed once he learned? What would happen if we would marvel at what we learn because we now know?

Have you ever been in a situation where you “know” something and hold within your being that it is true, even arguing that point? What about when you find out that what you “know” is indeed not true and there is proof of your mistaken knowledge?

“²¹Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.’” – John 4:21-22 (ESV)

This Samaritan woman knew of the Old Testament. In verse 20 she indicates that knowledge, however once Jesus began explaining things to her she started asking questions to understand more.

In order for this Samaritan woman to know, she needed to ask questions. After the questions, she had to listen and in listening she was able to understand.

We find ourselves in this situation often. We think we know it all and hold to that point out of pride and stubbornness. It is only when we are open to other ideas and question, listen, and understand those ideas that we know we are either correct in our thinking or that there is indeed a change needed in our knowledge.

When have you found yourself with knowledge that you thought was exact? Were you open to the information that others were able to provide? Did you listen to understand? Were you in a position to demonstrate a willingness to know differently? Do you know what you know or are you willing to continue learning?

How many of us know things that we have to witness for ourselves to believe? How many of us are still skeptical?

“¹⁰Jesus answered him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?’” – John 3:10-12 (ESV)

Nicodemus was a learned man and was considered one of the “experts” and teachers. He came to Jesus to ask questions and understand. Here, Jesus is giving him what he wanted and yet he was still skeptical.

I know that I have been there myself. Finding answers and then not believing them as true. When we are dealing in the Word of God, the answers are true and should we should believe.

God’s Word is the way, the truth, and the light. We have it here in front of us and we know it, yet we are reluctant to really believe.

What would happen if you believed God’s Word? How did you come to know what is in God’s Word, second hand knowledge or did you see for yourself? When we know, do we believe?

Have you ever been somewhere and walked by or spoke with someone only later to find out that they were someone you should already know? Aarron, my youngest son out and saw Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs player) and immediately recognized him and took the opportunity to talk with him. I wonder if we would recognize Jesus if we ran into him on the street.

“¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” – John 1:10 (ESV)

Jesus was certainly someone that should have been known at the time. He was talked about and his coming was highly anticipated as the Messiah. Yet you can see that in verse 10, the people did not know him. Not even his own people, the Jews, received him with open arms.

“¹¹He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” – John 1:11 (ESV)

We believe that we are in a unique situation in this age where anything we want to know is at our fingertips and that somehow makes us smarter or more knowledgeable, when in reality we only have more information. Having information does not an indication of knowledge. I may have read something but have not studied it, and therefore do not really know it. I have read about woodworking and recognize the tools, but knowledge of how to use them and create with them escapes me.

The information we have about Jesus is really good and thorough. It is good that we are reading and looking into God’s Word. But, to really know, we have to study. Daily looking into and applying God’s Word to our lives, reviewing to understand, and gaining a deeper visual of Jesus and how we can be more like him will aid in our ability to truly know. When we “know” the characteristics of Jesus and work hard to be more like him each day, I can imagine bumping into him and just knowing who it is I have finally met.

I don’t know if I am there yet, are you? Do you have deep understanding of who Jesus is? What does your study of God’s Word look like, are you using it for information or to gain valuable knowledge of Jesus Christ? Would you know Jesus?

Like me, you may have heard the phrase “Be Prepared”. The Boy Scouts motto is one that we should apply to many parts of our lives. We cannot know everything that may come up and it is good to be able to address those efficiently when they present themselves. The Lord’s return is one of those we should be ready for.

“⁴²Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” – Matthew 24:42 (ESV)

“Stay awake” or “be prepared”. As a father of boys who play sports, I know that they practice immensely to get ready to play. They work on conditioning, learning plays, and understanding what the philosophy of the coaches system so that when the game comes, they can just execute. But, when I watch them in game situations and see the adjustments as a reaction to something unexpected, I am amazed at how they just knew. This comes from preparation and staying awake.

“⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.” – Matthew 24:43 (ESV)

We cannot know when things are going to happen, and they will, but we can be prepared for them. When we go to sleep at night, we lock our doors, kick on the alarm, and make sure our families are secure in the house. In other words, we prepare, like the master of the house.

As we are waiting for the return of God, we should be prepared. We have work to do on this earth and for that we practice, to work on our conditioning, learning plays, and understanding the way God has in line for us to live. When we have practiced the plays and are doing things in line with God’s Word, we are ready to adjust as a reaction to something unexpected.

We do not know when God is returning, but we can prepare for this unexpected event. Not unexpected because it will surprise us, but because we have done the work and are rewarded for our obedience.

Will you work on your conditioning, learning plays, and understanding the God has in line for you? Will we be able to relax and enjoy the unexpected timing of God’s return, because we have done the work asked of us? Will we be prepared, because we do not know?

God Knows and That Should be Enough

As a man, I seek the acknowledgement of other as confirmation that I have done well. I am somehow validated by the words, awards, and/or compliments from others.

“³But when you give to the needy, do not let you left hand know what you right hand is doing, ⁴so that you giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:3-4 (ESV)

I read this passage this morning and whereas Jesus is teaching of giving to the needy, I was drawn to use this passage to teach me a lesson.

I will admit that I have been seeking affirmation from those around me to somehow seem more important, and all it is really getting me is more heartache when it does not come. You see, we can seek the appreciation of others to make ourselves look good (publically), but what does that really get us. I need to seek the more important acknowledgement from God (in secret) and not really worry about what others say. I have a lot to offer and should not need the affirmation of those around me to validate that. I should be focused on doing God’s work and allow God to provide my rewards.

We are to obey God. Not for human reward, or for ourselves, but for His reward and for Him. No one needs to know that we are doing for God. When they ultimately do find out what we have done from those that have benefitted from our graciousness, we should be completely shocked at any affirmation that we receive.

Where are your motives? Are you working for yourself or for God? Are you looking to obey and please God or are you out for earthly glory? If God is the only one who knows, shouldn’t that be enough for us?