Mosiah 5:13 -- On Knowing God

"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 5:13


This is worth thinking about. The chapter is talking about being found on the right or left hand of God... basically being part of God's fold or not. And this verse makes a really good point. Even though on one level God knows us all perfectly, in the scriptures that knowing goes both ways. If we don't know him, he doesn't know us. For instance, in the parable of the ten virgins the door is shut and entrance is refused to those that come late, and the reason is "I know you not" (Matthew 25:12). Similarly, in the Sermon on the Mount Christ tells us that many will plead with him, saying that they have done good works in his name, and he will say "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:22-23).

God knows our premortal selves and back then we were all on the same page, but if we choose to reject him now, then in a way, this new self that we have created doesn't have a relationship with him. ... Also, I wonder why we are working so hard to get to heaven to live forever with the Lord, if we don't know what that means. It seems that one of the huge, important tasks for us in this life is to get to know God, perhaps to see if the people that we have become outside the veil really want heaven, and perhaps just to bring our premortal and mortal selves into harmony.

Today, let's work to know God and to be obedient to his commandments, so that he will also know and acknowledge us as we desire entrance to his kingdom. Let's find out who we are working for and who we belong to, and understand what God asks of us and why. Learning all of that helps us to make better informed choices about who we will choose to follow in this life, but also will help us to understand some of the things that God asks that we don't understand yet. Getting to know Him is the way to his motivations and will teach us more about his love and his plan for all of us. I think it is essential for our spiritual growth to bring the abstract concept of God into our hearts as we realize who God is on a personal level and develop that miraculous one-on-one relationship, realizing that he can know us individually among so many.