Paul expressed his heart's longing in the words,
"that I may know Him." (Phil. 3.10)
Job, in the record of his pilgrimage toward God, declares,
"I know that ...I shall see God," (19.26)
and at the end of his journey he declares,
"now mine eye seeth Thee." (42.5)
This is always the aim and longing of the true child of God.
It is easy to find things to believe,
things to experience,
things to do -
and then find that at the end of it all we have a "Christianity"
without possessing the Life of God.
We can get excited about transmitting the correct doctrine.
We can emphasize the correct experiences.
And somehow miss the fact that God Himself desires to
fill all our vision,
and be all our Life.
The Holy Spirit has been the agent of God's work ever since the first man was conscious of life.
Throughout the history of the generations of the Bible, and since, God has never left Himself without a witness.
Daniel says, "the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." (11.32)
Real, intimate, spiritual knowledge of God is Life and Light and Strength for all our pathway - there is need for nothing else.
Amen
ReplyDeleteI'm coming to believe that the level of the knowledge of God of which you speak and seek may not be obtained without the rest of Paul's thoughts on the subject: "....in the fellowship of His sufferings." Paul, Job, Moses and David and many others had periods of suffering that involved some degree of suffering before they obtained a knowledge of God and His ways from which subsequent generations have been able to benefit. The Apostle Peter also spends much time on the subject of enduring persecution with grace and peace. He never mentions that we should fight back or protect ourselves. The Western Church does not want to hear these messages. We want our "rights" and "privileges" (under the Constitution?) to speak, gather, and consolidate politically in order to "preserve" and "protect" these rights, just like everyone else, right? Wrong. Christians have forgotten that when they accepted Christ into their lives, they give up ALL of their rights and privileges to Him who has (or wants to have) complete control of every aspect of our lives. We are supposed to be a "peculiar" people, as in "special" "unique," but instead, Christians are shouting, protesting, carrying firearms and hugging flags. Unfortunately, the Americanization of Christianity has no basis in scripture and no use to God or in the furtherance of His Kingdom.
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