The first time I met my wife was at College. We both sat down at the same table in the cafeteria. After briefly meeting her and learning her name I told her I couldn't talk to her ever again. Pretty mean, I know. The unfortunate thing about my first impression of her was that she reminded me of a terrible girl I had previously dated.

As the week went on and I continued to bump into her I put away my foolishness and actually talked to her. I even listened. :) The more I got to know her the more I actually started to like her. I forgot all about who she reminded me of and I learned about who she really was. I learned that she was definitely worth knowing. We spent almost two years before marriage getting to know each other and through that a deep love formed.

A.W. Tozer once said, "What I believe about God is the most important thing about me." Put yourself in that sentence and think about your beliefs. What and who do you believe God to be? Do you really know God, or have you had some bad first impressions over the years? What we know about God is directly related to the authenticity of how we love God. You cannot love that which you don't know, for it's knowledge that makes love grow.

Much like I associated my wife with a previous bad relationship, when I first met her, we associate God with things he is not. We view God through an experience of pain, frustration, or disappointment we have had instead of seeing him for who he really is. I also know the difficulty of not allowing my wounds from my earthly father to become things I associate with my heavenly father. The less I know about who God really is the more likely I am to make up my own mind and miss knowing him all together.

We proclaim our love for God in many ways, but authentic love for God is only found through an authentic knowledge of God. The best way to grow deeper in your love relationship with God is to get to know more about who he is. Search out his Holy Scripture. Read it, memorize it, and study it. Be alert when you attend church, a bible study, or when friends and family share what they have learned. Get to know who God really is and it will change your entire perspective on how much you really love him.

Since the first day we met, I've found that the more I get to know who my wife is the more I can truly love her. And, the more I get to know God the more I can authentically love him.

- Josh