Jesus reveals that eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ, not merely through intellectual understanding, but through a close, intimate relationship akin to that of a husband and wife. Our future is to be the Bride of Christ, and He desires a Bride who shows enthusiasm to build this relationship before the marriage. Christ is serious about having a Bride whose relationship, when married, He knows will last for eternity. Not caring enough now to create this closeness is a dangerous warning sign, as seen in the foolish virgins who hear, "I do not know you," and the Laodiceans who are rejected for being lukewarm. How can we build a relationship of such intimacy that God and Christ know it will endure forever? The answer lies in prayer. Through much prayer, we come closer to God and the spiritual things, as any good relationship grows through many conversations. Prayer is talking to God, coming boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find help in time of need. We must prioritize this contact with God, as Daniel did, for whom losing connection with Him even for part of a day was a greater risk than facing lions. Like David, whose soul thirsted for God and who sought Him early with longing, we should pursue this relationship with passion. God and Christ want us to know Them intimately and personally, and They have given us the means through prayer. We must take full advantage of it to make ourselves ready as the Bride for the Bridegroom.

Many people claim to know God, but the more pressing question is whether God knows them. Jesus warns in His parables that not everyone who calls out "Lord, Lord" will be recognized by Him. He declares to some, "I never knew you," despite their claims of familiarity, because they practice lawlessness and unrighteousness. To know God is to experience Him intimately, as depicted in the imagery of a husband and wife, or the bridegroom and bride, reflecting the deep relationship between God and His people. This intimacy means understanding His character, cherishing Him, and being obedient to His commandments. God reveals Himself as a being of lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness. He exercises mercy, compassion, and steadfast love, while maintaining justice, fairness, and unyielding standards. These traits define who He is, and knowing Him requires aligning with these qualities. To truly know Him, and for Him to know us, we must practice righteousness, exercise lovingkindness, and uphold proper judgment. We must strive to mirror His nature, growing in His love and refusing to compromise with His laws. Jesus emphasizes that those He does not know are workers of iniquity, highlighting that obedience is essential to this relationship. If we love Him, we must keep His commandments. By practicing righteousness and striving to reflect His character, we can confidently affirm that we know Him, and more importantly, that He knows us. This intimate bond is sustained through continuous effort to walk in His ways, ensuring we are among the few chosen to enter through the narrow gate.

Knowing God is essential to achieving an undivided mind and becoming one with Him. His mind is wholly unified, complete, and unchanging, with no division or confusion. He is always constant, never uncertain about what to do, and consistently headed in the same direction to fulfill His purpose. It is impossible for Him to act in any way that is not wise and loving simultaneously. His sovereignty, love, grace, omniscience, judgment, mercy, and wrath are inseparable, demonstrating His perfect unity under every circumstance. He desires for us to be like Him, to be one with Him, whole, complete, and undivided in mind. This requires our cooperation, as our minds are often scattered and easily distracted compared to His. He calls us to live as He lives, to imitate Him, and to walk in His steps. By seeking Him with passionate desire, we can defragment our minds and align them with His. He instructs us to turn from our divided ways and live as He does, assuring us that this path leads to life. Seeking Him involves prayer, study, meditation, obedience, and occasional fasting, driven by thankfulness for His calling, forgiveness, and Spirit. A thankful heart recognizes the benefits and sacrifices made on our behalf, while desire fuels the pursuit to make good use of what He has given. This passionate longing to be with Him and to be like Him is what unites us to His purpose. He responds to our efforts, promising that if we seek Him, He will be found, and He deals with us as we deal with Him, offering blessings in far greater measure. Ultimately, He is the desire of all nations, embodying the solutions, wisdom, power, understanding, vision, and love that humanity yearns for. By seeking Him now with all our heart, we prepare to become just like Him, achieving the oneness of His mind and avoiding the failures of division. Our calling is to show gratitude and to pursue Him passionately, that we may know Him and be transformed into His image.

Many people struggle with doubts about God when tragedies occur, revealing a lack of truly knowing Him. Almost everyone in America possesses some knowledge of God, yet it is often so superficial as to be disheartening. God declares in Hosea 4:6 that His people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. We desire that doubts about His judgment, love, goodness, and wisdom do not arise in His children's minds. Though our understanding may never be complete, there should be enough to recognize that what He allows is not only right but will ultimately result in good. It is impossible for God to act without love, for He is love, and it drives His personality and character, present in every thought, attitude, word, plan, and judgment, manifesting in acts of goodness. Even in anger, His perspective remains unskewed, His conduct always righteous and in the best interest of all. His wisdom far surpasses human understanding, knowing the end from the beginning, always aware of what to do with exquisite timing. As Paul writes in Romans 11:33, the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God is unsearchable, His judgments and ways beyond finding out. God is in control of His creation, fully aware of where He is headed, and it is part of His character to act decisively when circumstances demand it. We are comforted by the fact that He is always present, even in the midst of tragedy, guiding with purpose toward His Kingdom.

Knowing God is central to the quality of life that He Himself lives, a quality worth living forever. Eternal life, as Jesus states, is to know God, which means living in the same manner of thinking and acting as He does. The only way to truly come to know Him is through a close, personal relationship, not merely by believing in His existence, as this will never foster closeness or a desire to love and submit to Him based on His character and personality. To know God, we must seek Him to discover what He is like and imitate His qualities by studying His Word, learning His will, and putting it into practice. Without living by faith and seeking Him, we will not hear Him, and thus, will never truly know Him. This relationship requires effort, not happening by accident, and is costly in terms of how we live our lives, becoming a living sacrifice through faith in the One who redeemed us. Hearing God's Word is essential to knowing Him, as faith comes by hearing, and hearing leads to understanding. Without this, salvation is impossible, for hearing in the biblical sense means grasping an understanding, not just perceiving sound. We hear through sermons or personal study of His Word, and if we believe and practice it, it becomes part of us, helping us conduct ourselves as He would. Seeking God and living by faith allows us to be created in His image, an opportunity greatly enhanced for those under the New Covenant through the gifts He provides. Knowing Him with intimacy, not otherwise possible, comes from fully accepting His sovereignty over our lives, producing positive qualities that bring us closer to His true image. Those who know Him respect and reverence Him, never wanting to be far from His presence or to disappoint Him, and they are the ones who hear Him. The fear of God, a fruit of accepting His sovereignty, is not dominated by dread or terror but by worshipful admiration and appreciation of His intelligence, creativity, generosity, wisdom, kindness, patience, and mercy, all within His overwhelming yet subdued power. These qualities are only recognized through an abiding relationship and experiences with Him, as merely knowing of His existence is insufficient. The fear of God draws us toward Him, impelling us to submit to His every wish as expressed in His Word, and it is a necessary foundation for a life lived by faith. Without His Word in us, we cannot draw close to Him, and without study, we lack the knowledge and understanding of His will needed to be formed into His image. God's truth sets us free from ignorance of Him and His purpose, and we must know that He is close, loving, wise, and powerful over every circumstance in our lives. As we come to know Him through His Word and experiences, humility emerges as another fruit, gained from comparing our lives to His greatness, further drawing us to Him. Knowing God requires concentrated effort, focused listening, and meditated understanding, producing a vision of Him in our mind's eye that humbles us and instills a desire to be with Him and not displease Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of the knowledge of God, opening the pathway to understanding His sovereignty, removing barriers for the growth of godly fear and humility, and paving the way for a deeper relationship with Him.

The beauty, harmony, balance, and providence evident throughout the earth are witnesses of the wisdom, unity, harmony, and love in which He always acts. How important is it to know God? Eternal life is knowing Him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. He implies an intimate relationship with Him that matures over a lifetime, where each party knows the other as familiarly as marriage partners. We shall know, if we follow on in the path of obedience to know the Lord. Our God has every good quality to the ultimate degree, with every attribute working in perfect and faithful harmony. Studying God in His wholeness should teach us humility, caution in speech and action, and a deep reverence of Him. Human life is a beginning, as God made us in His image and is transforming us into the image of His Son. In bringing us to His perfection, He reveals His whole nature so we can know it and allow Him to reproduce it in us.