Talking about God vs. Knowing God...

This question popped into my mind today during church.

How can a person talk about God if they don't know Him?

Our pastor is truly a man of God. He brings the Truth every single week with no apologies. Preach it, Pastor Joe!

But how do people who don't know God talk about Him? I mean people in general who speak about God this or God that, but who don't have any real understanding of who God is. As someone who has grown up in the church all her life, I know how easy it is to "feel" like I know God. I mean, if you hear about God every Sunday, every Wednesday, and so on, you eventually get the impression that you know all there is to know about God.

God is love.

God is the Creator.

God is just.

God is....You fill in the blank.

But knowing ABOUT God isn't the same thing as KNOWING Him in a personal way.

What do I mean by "personal"?

Well, let me illustrate. We see famous people on TV all the time. We read about them on-line and in line at the grocery store. There may even be books published about them. All of this gives us a false sense of "knowing" these people. I'm as guilty as the next person about judging famous folks for their mistakes and mishaps. I form an opinion solely based on what I've read or seen on TV, wrong as that may be. Then, with the information I've gained about this person, I talk about them as if I knew what I was talking about.

But do I really know that person? No. Not in the least. I've never had a conversation with them. I've never spent time with them. I've never come to know them in a personal way.

Sometimes I think people treat God like this. They know a few things about Him--or think they know a few things about Him--and they form an opinion. Then they begin to talk about Him, whether they truly know Him or not.

Don't get me wrong. There are some things about God that we will never know. I can't answer the question, "Where did God come from?" or "Why does God allow evil in the world?" and such. There are mysteries about God that we will never know.

But I do know God. I spend time with Him every single day. I feel His presence with me. I've even heard His voice speak to me at times. I've felt His hand of blessing and I've felt His hand of discipline, too. I am by no means an authority on God, but I feel comfortable talking about Him because I have a personal relationship with Him.

I don't know if any of this makes sense. I guess the bottomline of what I'm trying to say is...

Get to know God on a personal level if you're gonna talk about Him!!