“You Are Known”

Daily Devotional – Monday, November 8, 2021

" Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NLT)

The chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 has become known by many in the Church as the ‘love chapter.’ In it, Paul expounds on the supremacy of love above all else—above abilities, above generosity, above sacrifice—because without love, everything else becomes meaningless. All these things will some day no longer exist, but love, faith and hope will be all that remain of the things that we put so much stock in—love being the greatest of the three. So given that fact, he continues his argument, we should set aside lesser things so that we can focus on what is truly important. Paul tells his audience that it’s all a part of growing up and becoming spiritually mature. However, even the Apostle Paul acknowledges that while these things are true, they are also difficult for us to comprehend. He promises that we will someday enjoy a new level of clarity as to the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ but for now we must content ourselves with the knowledge that we will know ‘everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.’ Wait…what? God now knows me completely? It’s a nugget that just doesn’t seem to fit in the midst of Paul’s exhortation on the preeminence of love, but as I think about it, it’s not as misplaced as it may first appear.

In our day and age of the ‘ends justify the means,’ people are often less than honest…about a lot of things. But there is One with whom we can not fake or present a reasonable facsimile. God knows us as we are. This fact can be both troublesome and reassuring at the same time. Troublesome because He sees us as we are…no amount of ‘makeover’ can disguise who we really are from God. Yet, simultaneously reassuring, because even though God sees me, warts and all, He does not look upon anyone of us with disgust, but with His perfect love as our heavenly Father. Are there times that we displease Him? Absolutely. Will there be times we forget about His stated priorities? Undoubtedly. But despite this He continues to love us because His vision is clear and He sees us as we will be, through the blood of His Son, forgiven and fully sanctified. This is a mystery for believers because we know how imperfect we can be, but God is not limited by our concept of time. He views all of time—past, present and future—in His eternal now, He sees us and knows us better than we can ever know ourselves…and yet still loves us, with a love that is eager to embrace all who choose to walk into His arms!
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Pastor Jane