April owns two donkeys. Or they own her. I haven’t figured out which way the relationship flows. Either way, she knows her two ‘boys’ thoroughly.
She knows the optimum amount of hay to give them calculated to the hundredths of an ounce. She knows the perfect living environment for them. She knows the exact level of sugar they should have in their diet. She knows their bonding tendencies and how to take care of their hooves.
I, on the other hand, know they have two ears. I know their names although I often confuse which one is which. Are you Mr. Brown or are you Babe? Never mind…just keep enjoying your hay while I stand here being ignored.
There’s a difference between ‘knowing’ and ‘knowing about.’ I know about the two donkeys. If you want to come visit them, I can point you in the general direction of where they might be. If you question me about those two ‘boys’ out in the dry lot, please limit them to things like how many ears they have, or can they eat a bologna sandwich? The answers are ‘two’ and ‘no.’ Or maybe it’s ‘two’ and ‘I don’t know.’ I’ve never tried to feed them a bologna sandwich.’
April, on the other hand, knows her donkeys. She’s within a final exam of earning her PhD in donkey science. Check that. She could write the final exam herself.
I resemble thousands of people. They know about God. They know about Him living in some invisible kingdom above the clouds. They know about Him having something to do with a book called the Bible. They know about Him possessing some kind of power to designate where people will spend their eternal lives.
They know about Him, but they don’t know Him. In fact, they might know the intricacies of growing mushrooms in their basement more than they know Him. And they don’t even have basements.
In contrast, April represents all those who know God intimately, more than just knowing about Him. Hopefully, if a person decides he wants to know God more than just knowing about Him, he can find a Believer who knows God.
What would that Believer say? She might recite John 17:3 to him: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
You see the difference? Eternal life isn’t in knowing about God. Atheists know about God, sometimes even more than the average church-goer sitting in the pew. Eternal life is knowing God, knowing He’s the only true God, and knowing His Son, Jesus as your Savior.
Or she might point to Jeremiah 9:23-24: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.”
From there, she might point to Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
When Jesus invites us to take on His easy yoke, He simply tells us to come to Him. The verses in Jeremiah speak of three qualities God possesses: lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness. Who will richly benefit from those qualities? Those who know Him. Those who only know about Him will never enjoy those benefits.
How can we understand and know Him? Through His Word, as it states in Hebrews. The verse says it’s not like any ordinary book. He makes it living and active. Most importantly, it can penetrate into the most intimate places of our existence. There, we come to know Him.
Knowing Him is so much better than knowing about Him. It’s both presently and eternally so. Therefore, I issue a challenge. Commit to knowing as much about Him as you possibly can. From there, you will come to know Him. You will never regret it.