JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Ephesians 5:2) “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us."
We often see cars with bumper stickers announcing that a child is an “honor student” at a particular school.
And while we all feel good about the successes of our children, two potential problems can arise.
First, there’s a natural irritation on the part of other parents whose kids struggle or are less gifted.
One mother put this bumper sticker on her car… “My kid can beat up your honor student.”
A second problem arises when the “pride of the family” is riding on the shoulders of an immature child.
Your child is not designed to handle that level of pressure!
They need to know that they are loved and accepted because of their own “unique worth”, not because of their performance.
In the same way as God our heavenly Father who loves you because of your unique worth to Him… not because of your performance or lack of it.
John McKay, the great football coach who was with the University of Southern California, had a son who was also a successful football player on the USC team.
When an interviewer asked Coach McKay to comment on the pride he must feet over his son’s accomplishments, this is what he said: “Yes, I’m pleased that John Jr. had a good season this year.
He does a fine job, and I’m proud of him.
But I would be just as proud if he had never played the game at all.”
That was a great answer!
His son would not lose his father’s respect if the next year brought failure and disappointment, because his place in his father’s heart was secure and “independent” of his performance.
That’s the kind of love your children need from you… and that’s the kind of love that God holds in His heart for you as well.
(Romans 5:6–8) “at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this… While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
Although He is proud of us when we “abstain from sin” and we reach out to help our fellowman, and we actively engage in the “good works of righteousness”,
His love is still just as strong even if and when we fall away or fall into rebellion or acts of the flesh motivated by influences of the world and the enemy of our soul.
“Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us.” (Ephesians 5:2)
Christ’s love for us is not “performance” based… it’s unconditional, unbreakable, and unending.
This divine rescue, based on unconditional love, resulted in a gracious act of self-sacrifice.
As Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)
That is precisely what God, in Christ, has done.
The unconditional nature of God’s love is made clear in other passages of Scripture as well…
(Ephesians 2:4–5) “But because of his great love for us God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions… it is by grace you have been saved”
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied… “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, this is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it… Love your neighbor as yourself… all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
And He asks each of us to extend that same kind of love to each other.
(Ephesians 5:2) “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us."
No matter who they are, no matter how much hurt they have caused, no matter if they are friend or stranger… God wants you and I to reach out in love to our fellow man or woman just as if they are the most important person there is in this world.
Two things happen when we extend that kind of love to others around us.
It changes the world around us… and it changes us as well… from the inside out.
Unconditional love, the key to peace and transformation in all of our lives!
Good day!
(Romans 12:2) "That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
For a redeemed child of God… nothing in life should be more important than discovering and doing Gods will.
The bible teaches us that we should be consumed with Gods will for our lives and that our first focus in life should be the advancement of His Kingdom.
From Johns gospel (1st John 2:15) we are taught “love not the world nor the things that are in the world.”
Jesus told us in (Matthew 6:33) to “seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto us.”
(Psalm 37:3-5) says “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this”.
But you do have four other options:
(1) You can remain ignorant of it.
Chances are this isn’t you, or you wouldn’t be reading this daily devotional right now.
Clearly you have a desire to know God’s will for your life, and He will help you find it (Isaiah 30:21). “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way… walk in it.”
(2) You can know it and choose to disobey it.
Jonah knew God’s will, but he ran from it and ended up in the biggest storm of his life.
What was his problem?
He didn’t like the assignment God gave him.
Samuel the Prophet told King Saul “Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams”.
God had sent King Saul to utterly destroy everything that reminded people of the Amalekites.
They were a wicked people that knew no bounds when it came to wickedness and evil.
Everything from child sacrifice to every deviant immoral activity possible is what the Amalekites where known for.
They were a people that had a complete disregard for life and for God.
God helped Israel subdue and over power the Amalekite nation and army… giving Israel a great victory.
But instead of annihilating and removing their presence from the earth as God had told Him to do… King Saul had the soldiers plunder the wealth of their enemy and bring it back home to Israel along with the King or leader of the Amalekites.
When challenged by God as to “why” he did this instead of obeying Gods instructions, Saul said "But I did obey the Lord. I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.
The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal."
But Samuel replied… "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king."
Now you might think this was kind of harsh on Gods part…
Your probably thinking that Saul had good intentions… however we know and understand that God knows the beginning from the end.
There is a reason that God wants us to obey Him completely and whether we realize it or not, and our obedience to God reveals the nature of our heart.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Saul thought “I have a better idea than what God told me to do”. I will use all this wealth and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord.”
But what Saul did not understand and what you and I often miss… is that God is looking for a people that will be obedient to His word.
It wasn’t the sacrifice that God wanted from Saul… it was his obedient heart.
So here’s a thought for you to consider this morning.
Is your problem revealed in the fact that you know God’s will… but you just don’t like it or maybe you think you have a better idea?
(3) You can listen to the lies of the enemy of your soul who will tell you that its not really Gods will… you can do what you think is best… after all God gave you the ability to choose.
The truth is… you can choose to do your own thing… yet deep in your heart know you’re settling for less than God’s will.
We are not called to obey the Old Covenant law of the Old Testament any longer.
That has been fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 5:17)… “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets… I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
However we are called to obey the “law of Christ,” which is a law of love (Galatians 6:2) “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
(John 13:34) “A new command I give you… love one another… as I have loved you… so you must love one another.”
Jesus stated the greatest commands of all… “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it… Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36–40).
If we love God… we will obey Him.
We won’t be perfect in our obedience, but our ongoing desire should be to submit to the Lord and display His good works thru our obedience to His word.
When we love God and obey Him, we naturally have love for one another.
Obedience to God’s commands will make us to be “light and salt” in a dark and tasteless world (Matthew 5:13-16).
(4) Finally… You can settle for nothing less than God’s will.
There are moments and at times God’s will seems too difficult, too prolonged, and too unrewarding.
Your own ideas seem easier, quicker, and more enjoyable.
In the end though, you find that His plan was better than yours… and there will never be an exception to this rule.
(Isaiah 55:8-9) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways.”
With that verse still ringing in your thoughts… you may as well decide from now on to yield to God’s will… do things His way… and believe Him for His best.
Why don’t you surrender your heart to Him right now… get down on your knees and say with the Psalmist, “I delight to do Your will, O my God…Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).
Gods will… its what Jesus came to fulfill… and it should be ours as well!
Good Day!
(Romans 12:2) "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
The story is told of a man who lived on a beautiful farm and when he died, the property, which had been in the family for over 200 years, was sold to one of the neighbors.
One day, the new owner was walking in a field when he noticed an odd-looking rock sticking out of the dirt.
He took it home, washed it, and took it to a jewelry store.
The jeweler confirmed what the owner already suspected.
The old stone, which had been in the field for thousands of years, was a large, uncut emerald and proved to be worth several million dollars.
This gemstone had been in the field all along, waiting for someone to come along and discover it.
Over the years, people had walked past it thousands of times and overlooked it, because it looked like nothing more than a common old garden rock.
When we “discover” something… in actuality, we’re finding something that has already “existed” or “exists” even though we were “unaware” of it.
Here’s the point: while many of us are seeking God’s will for our lives, often what we’re looking for is right under our noses, but we keep searching because we don’t “recognize” it.
To recognize a precious stone, you need to be familiar with its “characteristics” and know what to look for.
Likewise, to recognize God’s will, you must live by this scripture:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the “renewing of your mind”, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
That calls for quality time reading your Bible and talking with and listening to the Author.
Our minds have been conditioned by this world from birth, to think contrary to the mind and will of God.
(Romans 8:7-8) “the carnal mind is at “enmity against” God… for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
Enmity can be essentially described as “perpetual” opposition or enemies, inherently at odds with each other.
We all have a “sinful nature” that lives with in us… that’s what Paul was talking about in (Romans 7:15-20) when He said “I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do… it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do…this I keep on doing.
Now if I do, what I do not want to do… it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
The only way we can overcome this old nature of sin that continually rises up in us, that causes us the anguish we experience between spirit and soul,
Is to continually immerse our selves in the Word of God and focus on (Philippians 4:8)… “what so ever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things”
Solomon the wisest man in history and scripture says “as a man thinketh in his heart so is He” (Proverbs 23:7)
That’s why the scripture encourages us to “come out from among them and be ye separate” (2nd Corinthians 6:17).
Paul’s not telling us to be “separatists” in that we think we are “above those whom are around us, or to think that we are spiritually superior… no!
He is encouraging us to be separate for the purpose of our own “mental recalibration”.
We need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind!
So that we don’t think like the world… which is at enmity with God!
Listen folks there is a plethora of treasures that God has for His people, but they are not found when we are focused on this world and all that it has to offer.
Jesus said “seek ye first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33)
That needs to be our focus!
Before anything else in this world captures our focus… kidnaps our priorities… we need to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33)
Good Day!
(Luke 23:33) “When they came to the place called Calvary, they crucified him there…”
The word Calvary appears only once in the New Testament, but what happened there changed our destiny.
In spite of the myths and misunderstandings, the truth is clear and life changing.
Calvary is where Jesus was crucified… and that crucifixion was something He did… and allowed to happen of His own will and choice.
As much as we blame the religious leaders and the Roman authorities for being involved in and being used as the tools of that cruel event,
It was Jesus Himself that willingly went to the cross/Calvary to fulfill the work of atonement needed, to deliver mankind from the penalty of sin and it’s mastery over humanity.
Never forget… Calvary was voluntary.
Those who watched it thought Jesus was a victim of “circumstances” beyond His control… the collusion of Jewish hatred and Roman might.
But that is wrong!
Jesus rejected Peter’s well-intentioned but misguided defense saying, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)
Jesus could have chosen to live without the hardship, pain, or the death of Calvary.
No one coerced Him into going to the cross.
He said, “No one can take my life from me, I sacrifice it voluntarily... for I have the authority to lay it down when I want to… and also to take it up again” (John 10:18).
Calvary was certainly unjust and unfair but it wasn’t assassination!
It was atonement!
The enemies of God, Satan, and those religious leaders that were offended with the message that Jesus was bringing… intended Calvary to end His life… but Jesus intended it… to save us from a lost eternity.
And after they had done their worst and failed to stop Him… Peter confronted them on the day of Pentecost with this victorious truth…
“In accordance with His own plan God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you… and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him” (Acts 2:23).
Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all [people]” (1st Timothy 2:6) that includes you!
So what does that mean for us this morning?
What does that mean for you this morning?
It means that you are free this morning from the sins of your past, the sins of your present, and the sins of your future.
Jesus knows your weakness, and my weaknesses as well.
He knows we cannot save ourselves.
He knows that we needed something stronger than the blood of bulls goats and doves to cover our weakness and our sin.
So He allowed His blood to be shed on our behalf, and because of that… you and I are guiltless before God this morning.
God looks upon you and I “just as though we had and have never sinned”.
We are reconciled to him because of the cross, and made guiltless and pure before Him today because of the shed blood of Jesus on Calvary
In fact the bible says (Romans 5:8-10) “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this… While we were still sinners... Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!
For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled… shall we be saved through His life!”
What does that mean for you and I today?
“The skies the limit”.
There is nothing holding you back, God has forgiven you… accepted you… and the bible says…
“Eye has not seen nor ear heard… nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1st Corinthians 2:9)
He went to Calvary for you!
And because of that … the skies the limit!
Good Day
(John 17:3) “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent”
I asked earlier this week, what does it mean to know somebody?
Obviously, we must first know something about him or her and what they are like, how they think, and how they are likely to act under certain circumstances.
And that can only happen when they open up and let you into their lives.
If I want to get to know you, I need to make myself available to you, reach out to you in a friendly way, and show an interest in you.
But that will accomplish very little unless you are willing to reveal yourself to me.
You are the key.
And that same concept must be applied in getting to know God as well.
If we really want to know Him, it is going to involve our total person intellect, emotions, and will.
Unfortunately, we live in a day of extremes.
On one hand are the super intellectuals who know all the doctrines about God, yet “feel nothing” in their relationship with Him.
On the other hand are the super sentimentalists who can drum up a great emotional religious experience, but do not “know the facts” about God.
In between are all kinds of people who say they “know God” yet do not exercise their wills to obey Him.
All three parts of our personality are involved in knowing God.
First, we learn about Him with our intellects.
We study the Word, absorb the information He reveals about Himself, meditate on it, then think through its implications and applications to our way of living.
It’s all the “function” of the mind.
Our mind must be involved in knowing God.
If we do not have accurate information about Him, we cannot say we know Him.
But we must not stop with the mind.
As we learn more about Him we become more “emotionally” involved with Him.
And some people hesitate or are afraid to let their emotions get involved in a relationship with God.
But friend there is no reason to “back away” from the emotional expression of our faith.
When we see the depths of His love for us it might well bring tears to our eyes or shouts of joy to our lips.
It will certainly “inspire” greater love for Him.
When we understand the far-reaching implications of His goodness and grace toward unworthy sinners such as we are, we may burst into song, even if we cannot carry a tune.
When we realize how deeply we have hurt Him by our sin we should feel grief.
When we experience the reality of His forgiveness we should feel relief, and love, and joy, and a sense of security.
When we see people spurn Him our hearts should be saddened.
These are all emotions, and a true knowledge of God cannot eliminate them.
But we do not stop with an intellectual knowledge of the facts and some exciting emotional experiences.
We must “do” something about what we have discovered.
It’s true that we are “saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8),
But its also true that we must “be” actively involved and or “engaged” in knowing God.
We must choose (by an act of our will) to live in a manner consistent with the information we have received and the feelings we have encountered.
Unfortunately not everyone does that.
Paul told us about people who professed to know God but denied Him by their deeds (Titus 1:16).
John went so far as to say that the person who says he knows God but refuses to obey Him is a liar (1st John 2:4).
Let’s go back to the human illustration again.
If I have gotten to know you intimately, you will expect certain things from me, things such as loyalty, faithfulness, trust, fellowship, an open sharing of myself with you, and a desire to please you.
Those are things I must choose to do, by an act of my will.
We cannot really say we know God just because we have accumulated some facts about Him, or had an emotional experience with Him.
If we truly know Him… we will choose “to do” what He wants us to do.
We will talk with Him, freely tell Him what is going on inside us, honestly admit where we fall short of His expectations, implicitly trust what He tells us, depend on Him, submit ourselves to Him, obey Him, and worship Him all because of who we have discovered Him to be.
As we relate to Him in that way… our personal knowledge of Him will grow even more meaningful and fulfilling.
Our willingness to obey God can increase our understanding of Him immensely.
For example, if I express my willingness to obey your instructions, I am going to learn a great deal about you from the things you ask me to do.
The more I obey, the more you will instruct me, and the more I will learn.
When I stop listening to what you want me to do I will stop growing in my knowledge of you.
Anne Sullivan, who tutored the blind and deaf Helen Keller, recognized that it was useless to try to teach her anything until the young girl learned to obey her.
She became convinced that obedience is the gateway through which knowledge enters the mind of a child.
The same is true for the child of God.
Obedience is the gateway to our knowledge of Him.
Some of us have reached a roadblock in our relationship with God.
Knowing Him better will first require yielding our wills to Him fully and deciding to obey Him unreservedly.
If you truly want to go on growing in your knowledge of God, the rest is up to you.
You will need to believe what God says, then commit yourself to total involvement with Him and obedience to Him and His Word.
It may mean some changes in the way you live, but the benefits will be enormous.
Good Day!
(Exodus 33:13) “let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee”
After “cultivating” the desire to know God, the next step in our response to God’s “self revelation”, is to “accept” what He makes known about Himself.
That is, the body of information we call “the attributes” of God.
An attribute is an “inherent characteristic”, whatever God reveals as being true of Himself.
It is not so much a part of God or a quality that He possesses, but it is who He is, or what He is… the essence of His being, His nature, His character.
God and His attributes are one.
As we study these attributes we are going to learn not only what God is like, but who God is.
Obviously, we do not know everything there is to know about God.
We are limited to what He has revealed about Himself in His Word and with our finite minds we cannot even comprehend all of that.
But what we do grasp of what He has revealed, can enrich our existence on earth immeasurably and provide us greater pleasure than any other pursuit in life.
It brings us into personal touch or experience with the living God.
As we see God reveal Himself in His Word we may say at times, “That is not the way I have always thought about God.”
But what we have always “thought” is not particularly important.
In (Isaiah 55:8-9) God says “my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are higher than your ways”
We need to focus on what God has told us about Himself.
For example, if I have preconceived ideas about you that are inaccurate, yet I continue to hold on to those ideas after you tell me the truth about yourself, I will obviously never get to know you.
I must accept what you tell me about yourself.
Just so, when God tells us who He is and how He acts, we need to believe Him.
That is essential to knowing Him.
After the desire has been cultivated, and the decision to accept what He reveals has been made, there must be a “definite commitment” to Him that involves our total willingness or surrender to receive and walk in the light of what has been revealed to us.
In a human relationship, I cannot get to know you intimately unless I commit myself to spend time with you, take an interest in what interests you, get concerned about what concerns you, and rejoice in what brings joy to you.
I must become totally involved in your life.
Unfortunately, many of us have stopped short of that point in our knowledge of and relationship with God.
If we really want to know Him, it is going to involve our total person—intellect, emotions, and will.
Unfortunately, we are living in a day of extremes.
On one hand are the “super intellectuals” who know all the doctrines about God, yet “feel nothing” in their relationship with Him.
On the other hand are the “super sentimentalists” who can drum up a great emotional religious experience, but do not “know the facts” about God.
In between are all kinds of people who say they know God, yet do not “exercise their will” to obey Him.
All three parts of our personality are involved in knowing God.
More on this tomorrow.
But let me encourage you today.
As we face these days of calamity and upheaval because of the wars and rumors of wars, economic stresses, sickness and disease,
We are all looking for peace safety and comfort.
Knowing God more fully can and will bring about the peace, the comfort that we all desire for our selves and our loved ones.
I challenge you to lay down your preconceived ideas and thoughts about God that have been planted in your brain and your cognitive awareness, and make a deliberate choice to get to know Him more today and in the days ahead.
(Philippians 4:4-8) tells us “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God…
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable… if anything is excellent or praiseworthy… think about such things.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me… put it into practice… and the God of peace will be with you!
Good Day!
(Exodus 33:13) “let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee”
If I want to know you, first you must open up to me and share yourself with me.
But I am still not going to know you very well… unless I “respond” to you.
And the quality of my “response” will depend to a large degree on the intensity of my desire.
Has my first insight into your personality whet my appetite to know you more?
Do I wish to pursue the relationship and carry it to a deeper level?
While you were the key originally, now I am the key… and I decide whether or not I will ever know you better.
Unfortunately many have not made much of a “response” in their relationship with God.
They have learned enough about Him to acknowledge their need for salvation, and they have met Him personally and experientially in a saving relationship, but they have never moved on from there.
Unfortunately they have gotten entangled in too many other pursuits, and their time for getting to know God better has been crowded out by the affairs of this world.
Though they know about Him, it is not a very intimate and thorough knowledge of Him.
That could explain some of the problems in their lives, things such as nagging worries, endless fears, stifling guilt, a sour disposition, a gloomy outlook, and spiritual or emotional depression…
The truth is... an inadequate knowledge of God will affect all these areas of life.
And things will probably not change very much in life until they develop a burning desire to know God more intimately.
Getting to know God better could well be the single most important issue in the believers life.
It affects so many aspects of our spiritual walk.
For example, most believers who desire to please God want to know His will.
They are asking, “What does God want me to do?”
Knowing Him better will provide the answer to that question.
As our knowledge grows, we will begin to think as He thinks, see things as He sees them, be burdened about the same things that burden Him.
We will not need to ask what He wants us to do.
We will know.
And that is a good reason to begin cultivating a desire to know Him.
Moses had that desire.
We read about it shortly after Israel’s idolatrous worship of the golden calf.
Moses had pitched a tent outside the camp and was meeting there with God regularly.
God was speaking to him face to face as a man speaks to his friend, and Moses was getting to know Him.
But he wanted to know Him much better. “Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee” (Exodus 33:13).
That was the desire of his heart…to truly know God.
His request resulted in a great promise from God: “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).
It was a beautiful assurance of God’s perpetual guidance and care.
But even that was not enough for Moses.
Every new revelation of God stirred a hunger in his heart for more.
With a longing in his soul he cried, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” (Exodus 33:18)
God’s glory is the sum total of all his attributes.
Moses yearned to know all that a human being can possibly absorb about an infinite God.
His soul thirsted for a knowledge of God.
That is how a person gets to know Him… hungering and thirsty for more of God!
When you realize that life in this world is empty and meaningless apart from an intimate and thorough knowledge of the living God, who made the world and controls it, who made you and gave you life…
When a person longs to know God and cries out from the depths of his or soul, “Show me Thy glory”, in other words ,“Lord show me who you are”.
That person is ready for an earthshaking, life changing, experiential knowledge of God.
David had the same desire. We see it repeated throughout the Psalms:
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek...
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to meditate in His temple (Psalm 27:4).
To dwell in the house of the Lord was to live in intimate fellowship with the Lord.
That was David’s passion...
And things will probably not change very much in life until they develop a burning desire to know God more intimately.
Getting to know God better could well be the single most important issue in the believers life.
It affects so many aspects of our spiritual walk.
For example, most believers who desire to please God want to know His will.
They are asking, “What does God want me to do?”
Knowing Him better will provide the answer to that question.
As our knowledge grows, we will begin to think as He thinks, see things as He sees them, be burdened about the same things that burden Him.
We will not need to ask what He wants us to do.
We will know.
And that is a good reason to begin cultivating a desire to know Him.
Moses had that desire.
We read about it shortly after Israel’s idolatrous worship of the golden calf.
Moses had pitched a tent outside the camp and was meeting there with God regularly.
God was speaking to him face to face as a man speaks to his friend, and Moses was getting to know Him.
But he wanted to know Him much better. “Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee” (Exodus 33:13).
That was the desire of his heart…to truly know God.
His request resulted in a great promise from God: “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).
It was a beautiful assurance of God’s perpetual guidance and care.
But even that was not enough for Moses.
Every new revelation of God stirred a hunger in his heart for more.
With a longing in his soul he cried, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” (Exodus 33:18)
God’s glory is the sum total of all his attributes.
Moses yearned to know all that a human being can possibly absorb about an infinite God.
His soul thirsted for a knowledge of God.
That is how a person gets to know Him… hungering and thirsty for more of God!
When you realize that life in this world is empty and meaningless apart from an intimate and thorough knowledge of the living God, who made the world and controls it, who made you and gave you life…
When a person longs to know God and cries out from the depths of his or soul, “Show me Thy glory”, in other words ,“Lord show me who you are”.
That person is ready for an earthshaking, life changing, experiential knowledge of God.
David had the same desire. We see it repeated throughout the Psalms:
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek...
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to meditate in His temple (Psalm 27:4).
To dwell in the house of the Lord was to live in intimate fellowship with the Lord.
That was David’s passion...
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for Thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
Where shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2)
O God, Thou art my God...
So my soul pants for Thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
Where shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2)
O God, Thou art my God...
I shall seek Thee earnestly
My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1).
Paul had the desire as well: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus
My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1).
Paul had the desire as well: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).
All the position, praise, power, prestige, and possessions of earth… were like trash compared to the excellency of knowing Christ because those things have no eternal value.
They were not worth occupying his mind.
Why would anyone want to sit around and long after trash?
Yet that is exactly what some believers are doing.
They crave the things of the world instead of the knowledge of God… they long for the debris at the city dump, rather than the best that life has to offer… an intimate relationship with the living God!
The overpowering passion of Paul’s life was to know Christ (Philippians 3:10).
That may have been one of the prime reasons God used him so powerfully.
The desire was there.
Today... lets ask God to give you that same desire, to help you cultivate a thirst for Him.
Then begin reading His Word with an eye open to what He reveals about Himself.
Each new revelation will create a desire to know more... and there is so much more to know about Him... available to those who will pursue it.
All the position, praise, power, prestige, and possessions of earth… were like trash compared to the excellency of knowing Christ because those things have no eternal value.
They were not worth occupying his mind.
Why would anyone want to sit around and long after trash?
Yet that is exactly what some believers are doing.
They crave the things of the world instead of the knowledge of God… they long for the debris at the city dump, rather than the best that life has to offer… an intimate relationship with the living God!
The overpowering passion of Paul’s life was to know Christ (Philippians 3:10).
That may have been one of the prime reasons God used him so powerfully.
The desire was there.
Today... lets ask God to give you that same desire, to help you cultivate a thirst for Him.
Then begin reading His Word with an eye open to what He reveals about Himself.
Each new revelation will create a desire to know more... and there is so much more to know about Him... available to those who will pursue it.
Good Day!