The longer that I walk with the Lord, the more I realize how little that I know about him, or about life for that matter. When I was younger, I knew the answers to nearly everything about God, and about life. In some cases, you would not need to ask me, for I would volunteer the information. That is not to say that I was wrong about what I knew—sometimes yes, but many times very limited on what I knew; in which case, keeping my mouth shut would have been the best course of action.
Here is why that is important
In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, it says that a fool tells everything he or she knows; a wise person waits until the appropriate time. In other words, just because you know—or think you know—something does not mean you need to say anything. Sometimes the best course of action is to smile and say nothing. The challenge is that it takes a mature person to do that because an immature person has to be seen or heard. In my case, I had to be the first to get it (whatever “it” might be) out there so people would see how knowledgeable I was. This stemmed from insecurity, which led to the pride that alienated me from some of the very people I was supposed to be serving.
This is why a close personal relationship with the godhead is so important. It pushes you into a quiet place without any fanfare or any need to feed insecurity, or fear, or pride, or whatever. It teaches you to be still, to listen, and really learn. It is difficult, even hard at times, but necessary in order to become the man or woman of God that the Father desires.
Secondly, not everything is for public consumption. I recall times when pastoring, that a particular sermon study would get me so excited that I couldn’t wait to share it with the congregation, only to have it fall flat. I would beat myself up citing a poor presentation, or lack of emphasis on the important parts of the message. It was not until much later (sadly) that I realized that not everything I heard or saw from my time of seeking God was meant to be shared—a wise man or woman waits until the appropriate time. Some of my most awesome encounters with the godhead may never be shared or shared with only a select few—as directed by God the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, life is not about performance. In one place in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, it says in a certain translation that religious performance sickens God. It states that it may be good theater, but it gets you nowhere with God. Wow!
A close personal relationship with the godhead is about pulling away to be alone with God the Father, or God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. It is about learning—sometimes very slowly—to hear, sense, or know the presence of the triune God. It is about encountering incredible moments with God that excite your soul and motivate your heart to stay the course instead of following a different path.
I used to ask people what their answer would be when God asks them why they are in heaven alone? I did not realize how steeped in religious performance that was. The first responsibility of a Christ-follower is not to make converts—i.e. get people saved—the first responsibility of a Christ-follower is to get close to God. Once that happens, God the Holy Spirit will put words in your mouth to say to the people He would have you touch.
Think of it this way, Jesus touched people by the way he lived, reacted, and interacted with them. His words confirmed his actions. In fact, sometimes his words caused people to no longer follow him. The life of a Christ-follower is to do the same. People know that my wife and I love each other, not because I tell everyone that I see, but because they see how we interact with each other. Such is a close personal relationship.