I feel very fortunate to live in a good community. I speak to my neighbors and we wave to each other as we come and go. We look out for each other. I keep an eye out on my neighbors’ homes if they are away and believe they do the same for me. I feel safe and lucky to live where I do.

The question that comes to my mind is what do we really know about our neighbors? I stepped over and talked to one of my neighbors today about having an internship student at his place of business. He didn’t know about the program and is planning to check at the local high school to see if they have it. My point being, we have been neighbors for a while and he didn’t know about the work that I do.

Some of my neighbors have had serious illness in their families and I didn’t know about it. Others have lost loved ones and we didn’t find out for a long time. I know in winter time we all tend to stay in more because of the cold or because we are fighting a cold. One winter I hadn’t seen a neighbor in a few weeks and then one day I saw him in a sling. He had surgery and I didn’t know about it.

How about the people we work with every day, do we really know them? I worked up at Elkin High School for about five years. I ate lunch with a colleague every day while I worked there and we became close friends. We shared things with each other that we didn’t share with our spouses, yet there were still things we didn’t know about each other. I have worked with some great people throughout my career, but there are still many things we don’t know about each other.My Sunday school teacher got me thinking about all this when she made a comment during her lesson. She said that there are some people who have great Bible knowledge; they know the Bible and can explain the context of what is written. They have a deep understanding of scripture, can even quote chapter and verse, but they do not know God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Which is more important, knowing about God or knowing Him?Let me say upfront, it is very important for each one of us to read our Bible every day. God inspired people to write the scripture and it is the single most important book ever written. We all need to spend time reading and learning about God and His ways. The point I want to make is that there is a big difference between knowing about God and His ways and knowing Him.

God is a living entity with thoughts, feelings, and emotions. God grieves when we choose to walk away from Him or when we choose to only know about Him. God thinks about the world and situations in our world, but He also thinks about each one of us. He actually thinks more about us than we think about ourselves.

God’s reason for creating human beings was so He could have fellowship with us. God wants to be our friend. God wants to spend time with each one of us. God wants each one of us to know Him, not just know about Him. The only way we can ever know God is to spend some time with Him. This does not mean we have to be on our knees, although that is important. He wants us to talk with Him anytime during our day because He is always with us.

While you are lying in bed or driving down the road, God wants to talk with you. I believe that the more we invite Him into our daily routines, the more we will know Him. The more we try to listen, the more we will hear. I believe God is always whispering to us, but we are often distracted by the noise and craziness of life.

I want to encourage you to beyond knowing about God and truly know Him. Don’t stop reading your Bible or praying about the things that are on your heart, just simply invite God to be with you all day long. Then look for His hand at work around you. Listen as His Spirit speaks to your spirit. I encourage you to quiet your mind, turn off your electronics, and open your spiritual ears because I believe you will hear and soon begin to really know your Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Doug Creamer has authored two books: The Bluebird Café and Revenge at the Bluebird Café. Contact him at doug@dougcreamer.com