Knowing God Better and Better

“In your life, learn to walk with Jesus.
In your faith, be real and never fake.
And in your ministry, surround yourself with people who are better than you.”
Brother Andrew

Best known as founder of the Open Doors ministry, Brother Andrew was called “God’s Smuggler” for his bold transportation of the Bible into countries that had banned the Word. On reading this quote by him, I was challenged and knew I needed to get busy.

“Okay, let’s work down the list,” I thought. “Already walking with Jesus, check. Next, have a real faith, yes, got that. Last item: surround myself with people superior to me…hmmm…not sure about that…what about the ministries I’m in charge of…aren’t leaders supposed to be on top of things?”And that would usually end the mental discussion as I moved on to the next devotional reading. Yet, I kept coming back to the simplicity of his comments versus how I would normally react.

Typically, our response to a challenging devotional is conviction for coming up short in our spiritual life. We commit to work harder at the spiritual disciplines: pray, study, service. I have to remind myself that devotion means to be inspired in our consideration of an individual, not to create an effort of working for that person’s favor or attention. Should my response be to work for my salvation, to prove myself worthy of the relationship? Or should it be to appreciate the holiness and goodness of God? We should use the devotional as a path to reviewing, renewing and anticipating our love toward the Lord, as well as a check on our spiritual progress.

Brother Andrew starts out with such an assignment, not one of duty but relationship, to learn to walk with Jesus. Spending time in study and prayer to have this quality of relationship with the Lord, not the expectation of reward, must be the call of our heart. In so doing, we reflect Him with integrity, honesty and humility in all aspects of our lives. Paul had a similar thought regarding the believers in the church at Colossae:

So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better. (Colossians 1:9-10)

Paul asked them to consider that in becoming students of God, learning His ways, living in His wisdom and caring for others, their relationship with Him would only increase. And so it is with us today!
Share/Bookmark

Related posts:

1. Are You Walking in a Manner Worthy of God?
2. Do Christians Know How to Party?
3. Leaning on God Alone

Only God Can Tell Me What I Cannot See

Posted: 02 Dec 2009 04:28 AM PST

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139:23-24

We are good at convincing ourselves that everything is safe while bombs fall around us. We ignore peril and go about our lives as though there were no lions at our heels. We go to church, go to prayer as though our lives were well ordered, ignoring a pit of blackness within us.

We ought never trust our own judgment about ourselves. We are too comfortable with ourselves to accurately judge our flaws. Go visit a home in a foreign nation, you are likely to notice strong and unusual smells. Dwell in that home long enough and the smells go away. In truth nothing has changed, but familiarity has hidden the smells from you. In the same way familiarity will hide your sins. This is why we must seek the eyes of God.

Nothing is hidden from his sight. He already knows everything about your life. We might fear to pray like the Psalmist, afraid to see what darkness dwells within, what sinful things we might have to give up. But the heart of a saint seeks first and foremost the Lord and his righteousness. He is our delight so our desire is to have rooted out everything that would keep us from enjoying him. It is painful to cut away cancer from the body, it is painful to remove old, familiar sins. But to hold on to either one means death. Putting off sin means being free to experience more of the goodness of God.

Pray like the Psalmist. Seek the way everlasting. Ask God to look into your heart and tell you what he sees. When the Holy Spirit then begins convicting you of your sin, put that sin into his hands. Turn and repent and enjoy the fullness of the table of the Lord.

Jesus i love you .
Come and join the world again.
Hope you make this earth heaven again.....

Amen We need the presence of Jesus more than before the world is confused, but before He comes back us the Christians the followers of Jesus MUST fullfill what we have been commissioned to do. So brethrens as we waits fof His coming may we be found in obedience.