Knowable: Do You Know God—or Just His Name?

Do you know me?

You must know me in some way, or you wouldn’t be reading these words. Maybe you know my name—Jerry Scott. Some know me more personally. Jay, Sean, Christine, and Maribel know me as “Dad.” Others call me “friend.” Over the years, many have known me as “Pastor,” trusting me with spiritual care. Bev knew me as “husband,” a relationship unlike any other.

Each of these names describes a different facet of how I am known. But here’s a far more important question:

Do you know God—or just His name?

God, Made Knowable

The Bible tells us that God is Spirit—eternal, invisible, transcendent. And yet, He graciously makes Himself known using language and images we can understand. He reveals Himself to us in human terms so we can relate to Him, know His heart, and grow in love.

So who is this God we’re invited to know?

Father

One of the most beautiful ways God reveals Himself is as Father. Jesus taught us to pray to “Our Father in heaven.” The Psalms proclaim He is “a father to the fatherless” (Psalm 68). The apostle John speaks of His love as lavished on us, bringing us to eternal life.

But His fatherhood is not limited to masculine imagery. Scripture also uses tender, maternal expressions to describe His care. He is like a hen gathering her chicks under her wings. Isaiah compares God’s love to that of a mother nursing her child—a picture of nurturing, intimate care.

Yes, we are the children of God—deeply loved and known.

King

God also reveals Himself as King—a concept less familiar to us who live in modern democracies. As King, He rules with majesty and might, protecting His people and directing all creation.

The prophet Isaiah once glimpsed God’s majesty in a vision so powerful it shook the temple itself. Angels cried out:  
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Isaiah’s response was not celebration but humility:
“Woe to me! I am ruined! ... my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6)

To know God as King is to stand in awe—reverent, humbled, and changed.

Husband

In yet another stunning metaphor, God describes Himself as a Husband to His people. The Scriptures speak of His desire for intimacy, fidelity, and delight—like that of a groom for his bride. He longs not just to rule over us, but to be with us, to dwell in loving relationship.

As in marriage, this is a call to faithfulness, love, and mutual delight. The divine invitation isn’t transactional—it’s personal. God desires to be our Beloved.

Shepherd

One of the most beloved pictures of God is that of Shepherd. Psalm 23 begins with those familiar, comforting words: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…” He provides. He leads. He restores. He protects.

And in the Gospels, Jesus declares, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10)

In a world of chaos and confusion, the Shepherd calls us to rest and trust in His care.

Not Just Known—Knowable

Here’s the heart of the matter:
Don’t settle for just knowing about God. Seek to know Him.

Jesus is the Bridge between humanity and the Holy One. Through Him, the unknowable God becomes deeply personal—knowable. Not because we are good, worthy, or impressive—but because Jesus, our Great High Priest, brings us near.

The invitation is open:  “Since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess... Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14–16)

Take a moment to reflect—and pray: “God, teach me of Yourself. Let me truly know YOU.”

Videos of this blog
https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

Living ‘on purpose?’

Tom Brady, now retired outstanding quarterback, was labeled by a player from his team in Tampa Bay as ‘creating an atmosphere of stress.’  Apparently, the high level of play and excellence demanded by the G.O.A.T. was not universally appreciated. Brady answered his critic- “I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings." He emphasized his dedication to winning and a champion's mindset, stating, "This wasn't daycare". 

In the context of our Christianity, there is an importance to understanding the call of Christ to true discipleship, to making hard choices in life that will lead us to better outcomes.

Here’s something I know as fact - without constant monitoring of goals and mission, I will wander, spending entire days doing things that are not of primary importance.  The Scripture tells us that “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away…  how shall we escape if we ignore (neglect) so great a salvation?”  (Hebrews 2)

What are the first importance issues for you? Do you know?

Defining a mission, setting goals, and committing ourselves to regular evaluations are the only ways to avoid drifting along, hit or miss in our work, letting ourselves do what is ‘fun’ instead of what is important!

When I was leading a church as a pastor, prior to retiring, I knew that God had entrusted me with the spiritual care of His people. I was to teach the Word, care for those who were hurting, point the way to hope and healing, and keep on encouraging others to serve Him.

In order to fulfill that calling, I had to get myself into my office for study – everyday! I had to pick up my books and read to feed my mind so that I could teach. I was not free to isolate myself behind walls of privacy. My call demanded that I stay in touch and be available to the people of the Lord so that I knew their needs and could be responsive in providing good care. I constantly worked to find that balance between caring for my own spiritual and emotional needs and being a good pastor to my congregation.

Stephen Covey, in his great book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, points out that many of us don’t get to the important because we feel that we must respond to the urgent. He says, “Urgent matters are often visible. They press on us, they insist on action. They’re often popular with others… pleasant, fun to do… and unimportant!” Urgent matters require that we react. Important matters demand that we plan, purpose, and act to do the first things, first.

So, what’s the highest calling we all share?

Jesus lays down this marker about priorities for all of us.
Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33, NIV) What are the ‘all things’ He refers to? Food, drink, and clothing.

Those daily provisions, while important, are not first line issues. What a challenge for us. We spend a lot of time focusing on acquiring and guarding resources to assure that we have enough ‘stuff.’

Jesus promises, if we put God first, God will see to it that we are clothed and fed! Living that way demands a whole different set of values. Jesus told us “Don’t be greedy! Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.” (Luke 12:15, CEV) Do we believe that, I mean, really believe it? If so, it will change our priorities significantly. Much of what our society presses on us as urgent, will no longer be an issue of importance for a disciple of Christ.

More specifically, the Spirit of God shapes each one of us uniquely and equips us to serve His purpose with ‘gifts.’  Paul says it like this: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”  (Romans 12)

In God’s world, you have a place and purpose. For what has God made you responsible?
Are you treating His gifts and callings as a matter of first importance?

Are you committing yourself to be the best you can be for the glory of God?
There is rich reward in this kind of focused living. Others may be put off, accuse you of being ‘too intense,’ or fanatical. God will see a person who loves Him first and serves Him best.

Here is a word from the Word. May it call us into greater and higher service today.
“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” (Ephesians 5)

Videos of this blog

https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

 

A Great Love

I was privileged to know a great love.  When I was just a boy of 19, I met the woman who captivated me, falling passionately in love with her. Yes, as it is with most young men, at first that ‘love’ was mostly physical. She was a beauty. But it was not long before a deeper kind of connection formed that turned into a partnership that extended over 4 decades, including 4 children, shared ministry, and the most intimate kind of human connection. Our love wrapped around hard times, misunderstandings, differences of opinion, and the stresses of ordinary life. It culminated in the closing days of her life with care that led her home to the arms of Jesus.

Our love was much more than talk, deeper than mere sentiment, and strong!

We, Christians, talk about loving God a lot, singing about love, including much sloppy sentiment in our ‘worship’ but do we really love Him? Or is the ‘love’ of which we speak a more transactional kind of thing formed around hoping for the blessing of God in reward for some level of service?

Jesus said that a factor in our love of the Lord is our understanding of His grace, His willingness to forgive our sins and accept us as His children. His words came in a rich context. Imagine the scene!

Jesus is at the home of a respected local leader, a man who carefully lived his life to avoid outward sin, a Pharisee. He regularly attended synagogue, prayed, studied the Torah, and observed the Law of Moses scrupulously.  As they are enjoying dinner, a woman with a reputation, multiple infidelities, a social outcast, made her way to the table, found Jesus and knelt down at his feet weeping. She did not stop there. She took out a jar of ointment and spread it on Jesus’ feet, the heavy scent of perfume filling the air. Then, most scandalously, she bent down, wiping his feet with her hair and kissing them!  Yes, it was as scandalous as it sounds.

After a shocked silence, Simon muttered that Jesus could not possibly be a godly man, or he would have put an end to such a display.  Jesus’ answer to him nearly brings me to tears each time I read it.

Here’s the passage. “He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”  (Luke 7)

Could it be that our lack of a deep and passionate love of God is the result of our lack of understanding of our naturally sinful state, our alienation from Him that results from our choices?

Seems to me that we do not really think we ‘sin’ these days. Oh yes, we admit to making mistakes, but excuse them as just ‘being human.’  We sometimes face up to our flaws and failures but tend to blame our situation or experience; “if I had better parents,” or “if I had more opportunity,” or  … well, the list of things we blame for our own choices is long.

It is hard, I know personally, to look into the mirror and admit to our sinfulness, our selfishness, our shallowness; to face our depravity.  Now that’s a word that shocks, isn’t it?  One doesn’t have to be especially evil to be sinful.  “Nice” people still sin- failing God, building their lives on empty things like reputation, pleasure, or piling up more stuff. It is even quite possible to be very religious and deeply sinful at the same time!  That’s what Jesus saw in Simon that day.

Our pride wants to ‘make a deal’ with God, accepting Jesus as the Savior, but then believing that we can live good enough to earn His favor.  The ‘love’ of many collapses when that deal doesn’t work out!  When God allows us to suffer, when He doesn’t act in a way we deem ‘fair’ after all we have done for Him, we turn cold, becoming distant, our prayers are emptied of passion, our hearts are dead to His Presence.

Oh, that we would allow the Spirit to show us our true selves. Only then will the proud Pharisee become the weeping woman at the feet of Jesus.

I knew a great love with Bev, not because I was a stellar husband, but because we chose each other, fixed our affection for each other, and accepted one another for who we were, not some image we conjured in our minds about who we desired.

God loves me (and you) not because I am beautiful, good, desirable, or needed. His love chose me, desires me, and will make me into the best person I can be. “Oh, to grace how great a debtor, I’m constrained to be.” When that becomes clear to me against the backdrop of my sin, love overwhelms me - a GREAT love!

My friend, if you want your devotion to deepen, face your true Self. Admit your failures, without excuse. Stop pretending. At first, it may be hard, disturbing even, to face up to the parts of you that are carefully hidden away from sight. But, if you will carry them to Jesus, you find He forgives, cleanses, and heals. And you will learn to love Him more and better.

Meditate on this word from the Word from the Revelation, an apt description of much of American Christianity in 2025. This is a paraphrase called The Message.
“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.
 “Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.
 “The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!
 “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!
 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”

Lord, lead me to a great love. Amen.