"I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.
For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"
Mosiah 5:12-13
I like the idea here that we have to put some effort into our dedication to God. I think that is probably why some of the parables have God talking to people and saying "I know you not," not because God is actually unfamiliar with any of us, but because we estrange ourselves by imagining God to be different than he is, and imagining that we can choose do whatever we want in his name rather than getting to know and understand him and keeping his commandments.
Today, let's not imagine God as a kindly and permissive elderly and forgetful grandparent, unsure and out of touch with what the world is about, but rather as the all-knowing, all-powerful God that he is. Let's remember that he knows better than we do what is required for our salvation, and that he does all that he does and asks all that he asks for a wise purpose, and specifically for our welfare. We have to conform to his commandments rather than expecting his commandments to conform to us. If we don't understand the reasons, then let's go to him and plead for understanding rather than assuming that his will is unimportant or his law unnecessary.
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