Godlythinking         

A Reason To Know God

Everyone wants to go to heaven, but most people see God from a distance, and assume more about God then they should. They see God as if he were a mountain and from a distance see that mountain as a piece of cake to climb. Then they assume that the mountain would be easy to climb but never climbed this or any other mountain. However, if you had climbed this mountain, you will know that it wasn't as easy as you thought. Like the mountain, everyone sees God from their perspective and assumes they can climb the mountain standing ten miles away because it doesn’t look all that hard to do. The experienced climber would gather as much information about the mountain terrain and plan his path to the top. When the average person would climb the mountain by the seat of his pants and he may have a sudden stop on his way down the mountain.  In the same way they think because they have been good by their standards, God will let them in heaven.  

You almost need an act of congress to see the President in the oval office. The least you would need to meet with the President is have an appointment with an agenda stating what you're going to discuss. For anyone of importance, you need to make a great impression and have something they need to exchange so that you will come out of their office smelling like a rose. When it is all said and done, planning is the key requirement to meet anyone with a heavy schedule.  

Think back, when is the last time you let a complete stranger in your home?  Probably never, but letting them inside our home requires a smidgen of trust. Someone in our family must vouch for them so we may know that person will not disrupt the peace of our home. Although you know your character and behave well, the homeowner may not know a thing about you. Should the homeowner be apprehensive?  However, dosen't the sinner stand at heaven’s door and expect God to throw caution to the wind and overlook the fact that he doesn't know you. Heaven is Gods home, where he should be able to feel safe and be comfortable, but the security of the house would be in jeopardy if he allowed a person in his home who was destructive, known to kill or steal from the men of this world. 

The less you know about God really decreases your chances of going to heaven and whether you like it or not, you need an intelligent plan. God is the owner of heaven and has the right to determine who resides within its walls? We may not see eye to eye on everything, but God has the right to restrict who comes into his home. We must consider the trust issue because God wants to know if that person will disrupt his household, destroy everything that is important to him and harm anyone in his family? There is two sides to a coin, we know what our side looks like, but do we try to see things from Gods perspective.  

Its true that everyone wants to go to heaven. The question is will God allow you within the walls of his home? Is it possible to assume that you have the right answers and is it possible that you may be wrong when you never knew God’s side of the story. Isn’t it possible to miss a guaranteed way in his home by ignoring him during your lifetime?  Have you made an effort to find out what pleases God (Epheasians 5:10) or chosen to discover God on his terms? What’s God’s side of the coin, does he know you as a friend and have you responded to love that placed his son on the cross as an atonement for your sins?   

When strangers come to our front door we talk through the screen door until we gain a sense of that person’s character. When my acquaintances come to my home, the door is opened and they are received with open arms. They have the opportunity to see how I live and the treasures the Lord has allowed me to acquire in my lifetime. In addition they hear the war stories of how I have been successful, and come to know the intimate details about my life. Occasionally my friends meet my relatives and make the time to inquire about the pictures on the end tables and trophies in the cabinet. In time they know my family lineage from both sides of the family tree and know what I expect of my children. They know my politics, what I do for a living and where I work, my favorite football team, taste my favorite foods and see me enjoy my hobbies. When you stop to think about it, the person who wants to know everything about you has gained your trust and is willing to share his or her life with you.  

On the last day, every human being since Adam will enter Gods domain. The issue of knowing God will be a deciding factor that will decide who Gods opens his home too. The bible tells us that everyone will face judgment after they die (Hebrews 9:27.) There is no choice for  everyone has an appointment with God made long beforeyou were born, no one will be exempted. During your lifetime, you had the opportunity to make things right with God to become acquainted with him so you could work out your own salvation (Philippians 2:12.) 

Everyone on the face of the Earth has the same amount of time every day to seek God for the answers on life. The answer every man and woman needs to know is God’s mercy to forgive and his grace to save you through Jesus Christ.  You will have the assurance of going to heaven when you find the mercy of God and his grace by adopting you as his son or daughter. Then as his adopted son or daughter you must decide whether or not you will yield to his fatherly authority and obey him. Only you can make that choice and that will change the rest of your life. Let’s remember that eternity is a unfathomable length of  time and having a strong relationship with your heavenly Father becomes more crucial by the minute. What does Gods word have to say about a relationship with him? 

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Matthew 7:21-23

Introducing yourself to God is made possible through asking God to forgive you of your sins and recognizing his authority over your life in this world and in the kingdom of God. The answer to your prayer is found by accepting God’s mercy and his grace to accept you into his Kingdom. In addition, God demonstrated his love for you by giving access to his home with the rights that all of his children have. You also become a naturalized citizen of Heaven and through a pledge agree to live by its laws.   

At the same time God wants you to think of him as your father and to accept his love and respect his discipline, remembering that his discipline produces the behavior desired by a loving father. While God treats you as a son, he desires to be a friend closer than a brother. Ultimately God wants his children to make sound decisions and live in an orderly fashion. It means you are making a choice that will change your life forever. 

Doing nothing to know God is spiritual suicide, but on the other hand ignoring God is a serious threat to God’s ultimate and final authority.  However, using the time prudently demands a willingness to know God and apply what you have learned.  At the same time you learn that your words are not always the truth, but your deeds will always tell the truth about your love for God. The deeds you perform during your lifetime tell God the kind of person you are, and the behavior he can expect in the future. God will reward everyone according to his or her deeds good or bad. 

To sum things up, you need a plan to know what pleases the God of creation before he sends his angels gather you before his throne. By applying yourself to the plan God designed, you will not wonder or hope for the best, you will know with certainty long before you arrive that you have access to heaven through God’s grace and love for you.