In His Likeness w/ AntTBri

How I see/view you greatly affects how I interact with you. This can be/ work to the positive or negative based upon my filter/previous experience with others. I must get to know you before I can trust, have faith in, depend on or put any weight on the things you are teaching/communicating with me. At this stage we’re in the show me “You” stage. I’m looking to see, watching to know, but not really understanding who you are. This is true when getting to know God and man.  The reality is at first we base all we know of love on what we’ve experienced thus far with humanity.  We’re basing every experience, encounter, and how we will engage in the process of relationship development  on what we’ve heard or gathered at first glance [my minds view].  You heard the expression “first impressions are lasting impressions”.  Can I tell you, what you feel and think you know about love is not all there is to know?  What you know is hindering you from the possibility of knowing love personally, purposely, and passionately. Love wants to teach us somethings about God, ourselves, and how we can live and love in His likeness successfully.  Care to learn and know the authentic standard of love?

It is sad to say but many of us never matriculate beyond this initial phase of Introduction. We’ve been introduced to God. We are aware of His existence but we don’t “know” Him beyond the claims attributed to Him. If we aim to live and love in His likeness we have to spend time getting to know the standard of love.  We get to know love by reading the Word, praying and worshiping God as he desires, interacting, and becoming one with his person, principles, and purposes.  We’ve heard time and time again “God is love”.  Have we really gotten to know love? 

Daily devotion acclimate us to the knowing…spending/investing intentional time with God and paying close attention to what you learn about God (through His Word not our experience or perspective) will facilitate an intimacy that will strengthen our resolve to know Him in his fullness.  The exciting part is, you and God work together to build your knowing…you learn of Him, his love for you, and become more acquainted with the real/intended you. This is the only process we should claim.  This is our current reality.  It happens continually therefore it requires of us daily. Knowing Love enables us to know God and ourselves, and provides the platform in which we come to know others. We come to know and love God, ourselves and others in ways mere exposure to the things of God cannot produce.    Knowing Love will grow you, your faith, and life into the I’m with “ You” stage of relationship development .  Being and becoming with God is the fruit of the time you spend getting to know Love beyond the initial stage of introduction.

Getting to know love is not a quick sprint rather a quaint walk into togetherness.  It’s meant to be enjoyed, exciting, energizing even.  No relationship is the same…it will be and is going to be what you make it.  How invested in knowing love are you? Your devotion to and with God lays the foundation of how you will live and love (in His Likeness). Now that’s a thought to ponder: It’s God and me. We work in conjunction with each other. The King of kings knows my name, is invested in having, maintaining, and continuing a relationship with me. Devotion teaches us that God is relational! We see the work and effort He exhibits toward/in response to us and we learn how to reciprocate that love. The Lord teaches us how to love and be loved.  God directed devotion teaches us what commitment means. We are introduced to and shown the work [labor] of love.   Devotion builds within us the desire to return/give back the same measure of love to God, ourselves, and others (that’s becomes the goal/aim anyway).  We began to pattern our mannerisms, motives, and movements after the one our heart knows quite well. Get to know love and you will become the splitting image of Love~AntTBri