"Knowing God is crucially important for the living of our lives. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God." - J.I. Packer
"It is one of the highest objects of desire in the mind of the Christian to know Christ." - Barnes' Notes
As a Christian, how well do you know the Lord?
Actually, we can tell by how you view Him. Those who are walking closely to Him will first and foremost acknowledge His greatness - have lofty thoughts concerning Him. And this will be evident in their prayers.
Look, for example, at Nehemiah's prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-5 - "And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech Thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, That keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments."
Look at how the Levites viewed the LORD in Nehemiah 9:32-33 - "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, Who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before Thee, that hath come upon us...since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for Thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly."
The Psalms are replete with examples of David's prayers - showing how he viewed the LORD. Take, for example, Psalm 3:1-3 - "LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But Thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."
Look how the Prophet Jeremiah viewed the LORD in Jeremiah 32:16-17 - "Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, Ah Lord GOD! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee."
In Daniel 2:20-22, we see how Daniel viewed the LORD - "Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His: And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him."
Look at Hannah's prayer of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1-3, 7-10 - "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in Thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed...The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory...He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness...The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth..."
And, finally, look at Mary's prayer of praise in Luke 1:46-53 - "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away."
As you look upon the examples cited above, you cannot help but marvel at the knowledge that each displayed of the character and ways of God.
In fact, stop where you are and re-read each prayer. No matter the position in life - being a cup-bearer like Nehemiah...ministers like the Levites...mighty prophets like Jeremiah and Daniel...or simple handmaidens like Hannah and Mary - these people displayed a remarkable maturity when it came to the "excellency of the knowledge" of God. In fact, Hannah and Mary's words are remarkably rich with the superlatively excellent knowledge of God - His character and His ways!
What about the present-day Church? Do their prayers reflect such maturity? How about yours?
Some would argue that there are many Christians who have not gotten any nearer to Jesus than when they first knew Him. Their friendship with Him has not grown much since their salvation experience.
These would attribute this failing to there not being enough teaching and emphasis on the nature and character of God but more on self-attainment. Also, since knowing the Lord involves increased time, many are simply not taking the time.
What about you?
Proverbs 19:2 says - "Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good..."
Read what Adam Clarke, the renowned Bible Commentator, said in response - "The soul was made for God; and to be without His knowledge, to be unacquainted with Him, is not only not good, but the greatest evil the soul can suffer, for it involves all other evils."
Is it any wonder that Paul cried out in Philippians 3:10 - "That I may know Him..."?
Didn't Paul already know the Lord? Yes, but even though his knowledge of Christ was great, he felt that it was still imperfect. He knew but in part and desired to know more.
It became his major passion to be fully acquainted with Christ's nature, work, and salvation. He also wanted to experience the powerful influences of His resurrection and share His sufferings.
However, what he was after was not something abstract but practical. He wanted to have a personal acquaintance or experience with Jesus. In other words, to get more knowledge of Him by experience.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary explained it in this way - "To know Him is more than merely to know a doctrine about Him."
John Calvin said it in this way - "Christ therefore is rightly known, when we feel how powerful His death and resurrection are, and how efficacious they are in us."
The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary added - "The aspirations of the soul after Christ are aspirations to know more and more the power of His resurrection."
In order to achieve the goal of knowing Jesus more and more by experience, Paul made Him the perfect object of knowledge - holding everything else to be worthless in comparison with that knowledge and being willing to sacrifice everything else in order to obtain it.
This is evident by his words in Philippians 3:8 which says -"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ."
The "excellency of the knowledge" was a Hebrew expression to denote superlatively excellent knowledge.
Paul held everything else to be worthless in comparison with that knowledge. He was willing to sacrifice everything else in order to obtain it. All that was valued on earth was subordinated to it.
The Biblical Illustrator said - "The knowledge of Christ is so excellent, that a gracious heart counteth all things dung and dross rather than miss it."
Is this true for you?
Once again, we ask you - how well do you know the Lord? Do your prayers show a maturity in understanding the character of God?
Do you know about Jesus, yet fall short in knowing Him in experience - especially in the effective, powerful influences of His resurrection?
How much do you value this superlatively excellent "knowledge"? Are you willing to sacrifice everything else in order to obtain it?
We, at Walking In Truth Ministry, have made it our objective this year to do everything within our power - and by the mighty grace of God - to enable you to "increase in the knowledge of God" and become more mature in this area of your spiritual walk. We are looking to the Lord to give us written and audio messages that will cause this very thing to happen in your life. At the end of this year, by following this ministry, we believe that you will "know" God in a greater measure. Jesus will see to it!
To all those who faithfully support us every month with your financial gift, we want to say - "Thank You" - from the bottom of our hearts. We could never have accomplished all that we are doing without your help! May the Lord reward you richly in this life and in the life to come! We know that He will!
However, we are asking all of you who receive our messages to prayerfully consider supporting Walking In Truth Ministry with your financial gifts. Even if you could just give $5.00/month (the price of a cup of coffee at Starbucks). It may not seem like much, but when 100 people all give that amount, it becomes a substantial blessing for us.
And we know that some - because the Lord Jesus has abundantly blessed you - can certainly afford to give more to this work of God.
At this time, if you would like to be a blessing to this ministry, you can make your check out to - Walking In Truth Ministry - and mail it to the following address -
Walking In Truth Ministry
P.O. Box 383016
Duncanville, TX 75138-3016
Or, if you prefer to use Paypal, you can send your financial gift to - [email protected]
You can also send a Money gram - if that means of exchange will work better for you.
We are a nonprofit organization with a tax exemption status.
Thank you ahead of time for your gracious gift,
Connie
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)
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