Do you think the world you see is real, and the Kingdom of God is ethereal? How many people do you know who live in a world of false mental constructs? Perceptions can be incorrect, and people can structure their whole lives around dream world fantasies. You can see this clearly in others. Could you be one of them? Would you know if you were? I opened the eyes of the blind in my time on earth, and had much more to say about the condition of those who were spiritually blind and deaf. The gospel message is an invitation to open your eyes and live in the real world even before you address the question of which world will endure and which will pass away. 

Do you have an instinctive response to comfort your friends when they encounter afflictions? If your friends are spiritually immature do you find that the comfort they want is for you to affirm their condemnation of their enemies? If you are spiritually mature are you reluctant to do this? You should be. How do you comfort someone in pain without facilitating their bitterness and resentment? You can offer them sympathy for their pain. You can point out that the person that they regard as their enemy isn’t the real problem. You can realize that the true comforter is the Holy Spirit and receive wisdom to minister to those who are not able to receive it directly. 

My word tells you to be still and know that I am God. This implies that there is a connection between stillness and knowing. Is this how you know other things? A diligent search for knowledge implies proactive involvement. You have many resources available to you for all the facts in the world. Yet knowing me is different. This is a journey in which you make greater progress by slowing down and calming down. The world and its distractions and your own racing thoughts are too prominent in your awareness. If you want to know the author of life, release those things and I will come to you. 

Do you love books? The written word has provided a very effective communication method for all of recorded history. In essence it connects a reader with an author. How do you regard the Bible? Is it an illustration of this principle too, or is it in a special category and exempt from this rule? In other words, is it possible to know the Bible without knowing the author of the Bible? If so this is not a desirable situation. I dealt with the same thing in my ministry on earth. The Pharisees knew the scriptures that testified of me but they didn’t recognize me when I was present with them. These things were written that you may believe and know the one the Father sent.