The Power of Knowing God

 

To know God personally is to relate to Him intimately as a man “knows” his wife (Genesis 4:1). This is not an intellectual pursuit, but an experienced unity. Knowing God provides us with eternal life (John 17:3). The Jewish culture looked for signs, and the Greek culture craved wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:21). When Christ came, He served as a stumbling block for both cultures; however, to those who are called in Christ, Jesus is both our power and the wisdom of God in us (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).

When I consider the size and magnificence of creation, I cannot comprehend it. It is too magnanimous for me to fathom. The heavens and skies declare the glorious works of God’s hands (Psalm 19:1). God uses creation to preach His gospel (Romans 1:20). Even in countries where missionaries have yet to preach, the heavens are proclaiming His righteousness and the people see His glory (Psalm 97:6).

Those who reject Christ are without excuse, and refrain from believing only because of their rebellion and pride (John 3:18). God does not need natural beauty, skill and talents, just a submissive person, emptied of him/her self. He does not want those who take the credit, only those who give Him the glory. He has no need for excellence, eloquence and elegance in His people. He simply looks for a surrendered life.

We labor with all the energy of Christ’s power working in and through us (Colossians 1:29). This is the same power, which raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand (Ephesians 1: 19-20). Jesus knew Peter’s habit of depending on the flesh to fight his battles. That is why the transformation in Peter after Pentecost is so amazing! He learned that God needs no human talents or abilities, but only His Spirit working in and through us (Zechariah 4:6; Acts 2:14-36).

Prayer:

Father God, when I lay down to sleep, I remember all that You do for me. I meditate on Your goodness all through the night watches. You are my help, and I hide and rejoice in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You for stability and comfort. You hold me up with Your powerful right hand (Psalm 63:6-8). You are my rock and You bring me true salvation. You are my strong fortress, which prevents me from being shaken by the storms and quakes of life (Psalm 62:2). I depend on You to move in me by the power of your Spirit.  

Thought for the Day:

As Born Again Believers, we walk in the power of knowing God.

Misplaced Trust

Read: 1 Chronicles 21:1-8

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." - Isaiah 12:2 (NIV)

Sometimes I resist God's leading when I sense that it may endanger my personal security. I place my trust in what I can see, rather than in God and the outcome that only He can see. This lack of faith also allows me to compromise with the world and allows Satan to influence my thinking. Over time, the original insecurity I felt grows, and my mind imagines all sorts of horrible things that actually may never even happen.

As a shepherd boy, David did not think twice when God told him to defeat Goliath with only his trusty sling. Yet, as an adult, King David made a big mistake and did not follow God's leading with all of his heart. He trusted in his own wisdom and power instead. He disobeyed God and counted his soldiers before committing to battle (1 Chronicles 21:1-8). Woefully, David’s decision caused some of the citizens of his kingdom to reap the consequences of his behavior.

David's compensate quality, however, lay in his willingness to repent when God pointed out his mistakes. In verse 24 of this same chapter, we see that David was not willing to take a gift of land offered to him by one of his subjects in order to build an altar to the Lord. Instead, David insisted on paying for the land. He said, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”  I love his attitude and I want to remember his example.

God continued to bless David throughout his life, in spite of his failings. God forgives us, as well, and will bless us as long as we humble ourselves and place our trust in Him. We really have nothing to fear in trusting the Lord. Whenever I surrender my will to God’s, He always works everything, even the negative things, out for my good. 

Prayer:

Father, we never want to willingly sacrifice to you something that costs us nothing. Fill us with your joy and peace as we trust in You, so that we overflow with hope by the power of Your Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

Thought for the Day:
We can guard against misplacing our trust, if we keep our eyes focused on Christ's redeeming love.

Immortality NOW

Read: Romans 6:4-5

"Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24

Humans constantly search for the fountain of youth to achieve immortality. They explore in vain for a way to live forever. When we are "born again," we actually cross from eternal death into eternal life. It happens the instant we believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rose again to give us a new life in Him. At that very moment, we take our first step out of this mortal world and into the immortal Kingdom of God. We can have immortality NOW. 

Then we experience life as Christ prepared it for us. We are free from the power of sin and the lusts and expectations of this world. Our old nature is crucified with Christ, and He lives His life through us (Galatians 2:20). We live each new day in glorious freedom as the body of Christ. Once our mortal body expires, the angels are there to immediately whisk us off to the presence of God, where we will spend eternity worshipping and serving Him.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, make our lives a living witness of the power of Your gospel.  Keep us ever mindful that Your Spirit resides in our hearts to empower us to live Godly lives now and throughout eternity.

Thought for the Day:

Exhibit the power of Christ’s gospel through a life, which is victorious  in achievement as well as surrendered to His will.