HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO REALLY KNOWS YOU?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Then I will tell them plainly,
‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:23)

MEDITATION:
You may have many friends in life, but isn’t it great when you have
that one friend who really knows you? They know your feelings, your
likes and dislikes, when you are sad, when you are happy, when you
are concerned about something, etc. Having a friend who really knows
you can fill a void that no one else can fill.

Knowing Jesus and having Him know you is even more important.
Jesus lays down His life for the ‘sheep’ He knows.
    “I am the good Shepherd; I know My sheep and
      my sheep know Me—just as the Father knows
      Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My
      life for the sheep.”
      (John 10:14-15)

When Jesus lays down His life for those He knows, it means they
know Him and have the same relationship with Him that He does
with the Father. Jesus had a special relationship with our Heavenly
Father. Why? Because His desire was to be just like Him.

He wanted to make His commands a part of His life. He wanted
to obey God on the Father’s terms, and not on His own terms.
    We know that we have come to know Him if we
    keep His commands. Whoever says, “I know Him,”
    but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the
    truth is not in that person.
    (1 John 2:3-4)

Was He successful? Yes He was. The Father knew Him,
and He knew the Father.

When you step into eternity, which one of these would you like to hear?
    1. “I never knew you, away from me you evildoer!”
    2. “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
    3. “You have fought the good fight,
           you have finished the race; you have kept the faith!“

None of us want to hear the first one, right? However there
are many who are considered ‘religious’ who will hear those
bone-chilling words. According to the scriptures, who will
hear those words, and why?

Some will hear those words from Jesus because they claimed
to be believers but failed to do the Will of God. They might
obeyed some of His commands, but not all of them. They may
have done some of things He wanted them to do, but not all of
them.
    “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
      will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only
      the one who does the will of my Father who
      is in heaven.”
      (Matthew 7:21)

Some can convince those around them that they are obedient to the
Lord, but they know personally that they are guilty of justifying
their disobedience to some of His commands. Partial obedience is
still disobedience. They can sound ‘religious’ to those around them,
but God reads their hearts. He knows which of His commands they
are disobeying.
    But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider
    his appearance or his height, for I have rejected
    him. The Lord does not look at the things people
    look at. People look at the outward appearance,
    but the Lord looks at the heart.”
    (1 Samuel 16:7)

Others will say, look at all the work I did for You.
    “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 in Your name
      perform many miracles?’
      (Matthew 7:22)

God can see their efforts, but He knows the lack of sincerity in
their faith. They may have been busy doing things that looked
good to others, and possibly fed their ego, but they failed to really
get to know the Lord. They allowed Him to be a part of certain
portions of their lives, but kept Him out of other areas where they
chose to continue in their selfishness.

ACTION:
If you are saved, remember when you first invited the Lord into
your life? You wanted Him to have total control, and you couldn’t
wait to tell others how your life has changed. You looked forward
to absorbing more of Jesus every day.

Has anything dulled your excitement and desire to fellowship with
the Lord? Have you been spending time getting to know Him so you
won’t hear Him say He never knew you? Have you been following the
path He has charted for you? How would you answer the following
question?
    “What have you done for the Lord, what are
      You doing for Him now, and what do you
      plan to do for Him in the future?”

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I want to know You and for You to know me.
When I see You face to face, I want You to recognize me as one of
Your sheep. Forgive me for creating my own set of Your commands
that I will obey. Change me so that I will have a desire to obey all
Your commands. I want to enjoy fellowship with You while I am
living my life on earth. Give me confidence that I can be successful
in ‘keeping Your commands’ and following the path You have
established especially for me. I shudder at the thought of hearing
You say, ‘Depart from me, I never knew you’.”

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