Knowing God: Growing in Love, Closeness, and Commitment

Mark 12 puts the first thing first: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and all your strength.” That up and down relationship with God is what supports every relationship that goes out sideways. When that relationship gets out of balance, everything else starts leaning the wrong way.

Love for God begins with knowing God, not just knowing about Him. Knowledge of facts, church attendance, or even a family member’s faith does not make somebody part of God’s family any more than knowing every football stat makes somebody part of the team. God calls for intimacy, closeness, and a hunger to know Him better. A relationship that is “good enough” robs a person of the blessing God still wants to give, because God is not done providing, caring, growing, and drawing His people close.

The relationship with God cannot stay private. A husband who never acknowledges his wife in public would reveal something broken in that relationship, and the same thing is true with God. God’s people acknowledge who they belong to at the water cooler, at the school board meeting, on the job, and in the places where doing right may cost something. A person can say what is right without being mean about it. Standing for God is not about judging everybody else. It is about honoring the One who has been so faithful.

Sacrifice sits at the center of every relationship that flourishes. God brings everything to the table, while people bring nothing but need, sin, and dirty rags. Yet Christ gave Himself to reconcile sinners back into the family. That love does not invite people to keep living however they want. Christ calls those who follow Him to deny themselves, take up the cross, and follow Him every day, not just for one hour on Sunday.

Love for God also means submission. A person cannot act single while claiming to be committed, and no one can keep dating the world while claiming to follow Christ. God’s purpose and plan must become more important than personal plans. As closeness with God grows, His desires become the desires of His people, and love for what God loves begins to overflow toward neighbors. The God who gives a rich and satisfying life is also the good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Know God, not merely facts [31:14] Knowledge about God can fill a mind while leaving the heart distant. Intimacy grows through seeking His character, His ways, and His presence over time. A relationship with God is personal, not inherited through parents or borrowed from church attendance. Hunger to know Him better opens the door to seeing that there is always more of God to know. [31:14]
• 2. Acknowledge God beyond church walls [42:56] A love relationship naturally names and honors the beloved. God is not meant to be acknowledged only in safe church settings while being hidden in difficult public places. Faithfulness may require a person to draw a line, refuse dishonesty, or quietly ask others to respect what belongs to God. Such acknowledgment is not self-righteousness when it comes with humility and kindness. [42:56]
• 3. Sacrifice makes relationships flourish [51:58] Every lasting relationship costs something because love gives up self for the good of another. Christ showed the fullest form of that sacrifice by placing sinners before Himself at the cross. Following Him may cost comfort, opportunities, friendships, or approval, but anything lost for honoring God was never worth owning above Him. Sacrifice becomes less like loss when love has made the relationship precious. [51:58]
• 4. Following Christ requires daily submission [58:40] God does not offer a one-sided arrangement where people receive blessing while refusing His direction. Submission begins by recognizing who God is and who people are before Him. Christ humbled Himself for sinners, and His followers learn to put God’s will above self-rule. Taking up the cross is a daily commitment, not a once-a-week religious habit. [58:40]
• 5. Loving God changes love for people [01:05:19] Love for God does not terminate on private feelings or personal comfort. As closeness with God grows, His people begin loving what He loves most: the people He created. The command to love God with everything naturally flows into love for neighbors. A heart being shaped by God cannot remain indifferent toward those God made and Christ came to save.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:41] - Relationships Are Meant to Grow
• [28:54] - The Foundation of Every Relationship
• [29:30] - Love God With Everything
• [30:53] - Knowing God Intimately
• [36:07] - No Partnership With God
• [42:56] - Acknowledge God in Public
• [47:07] - Honor God When It Costs
• [51:22] - Sacrifice Builds Real Love
• [53:04] - No Separate Christian Life
• [57:36] - Follow Christ and Submit
• [60:23] - Take Up the Cross Daily
• [63:54] - Love God With All You Are
• [71:36] - Enter the Relationship With God

Bible Reading

Mark 12:30-31
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” [29:53]

Luke 9:23
“And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” [58:40]

John 10:10-11
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” [57:06]

Observation questions

1. In Mark 12:30–31, what areas of a person’s life are named in the command to love God, and what command immediately follows it?
2. According to the message, what is the difference between knowing facts about God and knowing God personally? [31:01]
3. What examples were given of places where believers may be tempted to keep their faith hidden or quiet? [51:22]
4. In John 10:10–11, what contrast is made between the thief’s purpose and Jesus’ purpose, and what does Jesus call Himself? [57:06]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is love for God described as the foundation that supports love for other people? How does a weak or neglected relationship with God affect relationships at home, work, and in the community? [28:38]
2. What does it mean for a relationship with God to be personal but not private? How can someone acknowledge God without acting self-righteous or treating others harshly? [37:11]
3. Luke 9:23 speaks of denying oneself and taking up the cross daily. What kinds of everyday choices show the difference between following Christ and simply wanting God’s help when life gets hard? [01:01:00]
4. Jesus gave His life for His sheep, and His followers are called to sacrifice and submit. Why are sacrifice and submission not meant to be ways of earning God’s love, but responses to the love already shown in Christ? [01:04:39]

Application questions

1. Is your relationship with God mostly built on what you know about Him, or are you actively seeking to know Him more closely? What is one simple step you could take this week to grow in that closeness? [39:08]
2. Where is it easiest for you to acknowledge God, and where is it hardest—at work, with friends, in family conversations, online, or in public settings? What might humble and kind faithfulness look like in one of those places? [42:54]
3. Have you faced a situation where honoring God might cost you approval, comfort, an opportunity, or a relationship? What would help you stand firm without becoming harsh or judgmental? [47:11]
4. Is there an area of life where you are tempted to “act single” spiritually—wanting Christ’s blessings while keeping control of your own choices? What would submission to God look like in that area this week? [58:28]
5. What personal plan, habit, or desire is competing with God’s purpose for your life right now? How can you begin placing His plan above your own? [01:01:41]
6. How has your love for people been affected by your closeness with God? Is there a neighbor, coworker, family member, or difficult person God may be calling you to love more intentionally? [01:05:19]