To Be Known

Have you ever had one of those “Ah-Ha!” moments when you have a revelation of truth that sets your mind and body at instant peace?  Well, I had one early yesterday morning as I sat in my study with a fresh hot cup of Maxwell House French Roast coffee in my hand.  I had just begun to read from the open bible on my desk from John chapter ten.  When I got to the end of the third verse, I read where Jesus in talking about His role as the shepherd of the sheep declared “He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen.” (God’s Word ©)  And it dawned on me that He KNOWS my name!  He knows everything there is to know about me.  He knows me even better than I know myself!  Wow... Have you ever thought about that?  Jesus Christ, the king of the universe knows you and me by name!  We are not just a face in the crowd or a number in a book.  We are intimately known by Him!

One of the things that I missed the most when I moved from the sales floor into Operations management at The Home Depot was the daily contact and relationships I had built with the regular customers who frequented the Garden Department.  I enjoyed being a part of their lives and helping them out when it came to solving some of the gardening problems or questions they had.  I liked that I knew them enough that I could feel comfortable calling them by name, and maybe even more so that they knew me and trusted me enough to ask for me by name. 

It always seemed a little strange when someone I’d never seen before would walk up to me at the store and say “Hi Jim.”  With my quick thinking mind, I finally figured out that they were simply responding to the name that was written across the front of my orange apron!  But you know, it wasn’t the same because they didn’t know me, there was an empty ring when they said my name.  But you can rest assured that there is no empty ring when Jesus calls you by name, because He REALLY KNOWS you!

I came to realize awhile back that one of the biggest things that bugged me about the folks who said some negative things about me concerning the past and present care of my wife was that their words and subsequent actions vividly demonstrated that they really DIDN’T know me or my wife for that matter!  Their accusations were obviously based on what they had imagined and not on the truth.

Once again though, this is one situation that you and I will never have to face when it comes to the counsel of our Lord because we have a solid foundation, as the Apostle Paul declared in 2 Timothy 2:19 saying “The Lord knows those who belong to him.” (God’s Word ©)  And according to the original Greek the word “knows” is talking about an intimate, in depth knowledge.  Not something that is simply imagined but known through regular, caring, two-way interaction with us!

Doesn’t that make you feel special?  I know it did for me as repeatedly read and drank in those comforting words!  So I would encourage you to do the same and grab a cup of His Word and drink from its refreshing, flavorful and satisfying truth today.  Know that He KNOWS you and LOVES you beyond anything that you could ever imagine.  Have a great week.  Stat in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or WHOM are you expecting today?”