COLLOSIANS 1'9-10
9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
I've been feeling abit recently that I really need to get stuck into some deep study with Gods Word. Some deep, life transforming, arduous, diligent, study.
And thats the thing, with school work, you put in some work , and you get the grade. It's fairly black and white. But you don't get that with God; He doesn't give you a grade for your Bible efforts of the plans and books you've aimed to finish reading. He doesn't grade you by assessment guidelines...He gives you something so much better.
He gives you fruit.
Your character begins to change as you seek God more; you realise your need for Him, you incapability and terrible, terrible lacking of self control. His character (not the law) shows you how far off you are, and gives you a goal.
He is the 'assessment guideline'.
He is the standard to which none of us can achieve. It's sort of like, if you have an exam to enter a prestigious school ... and the pass mark is 100%. The exam is impossibly hard, and no one will ever get full marks. You may even get above 80% - higher than all your friends but it's not 100%...
But somehow, by the mysterious plan of the headmaster you get an acceptance letter; and then after a few years you find out that He expelled His Son from the school so that you could get in.
He is the 'assessment guideline'.
He is the standard to which none of us can achieve. It's sort of like, if you have an exam to enter a prestigious school ... and the pass mark is 100%. The exam is impossibly hard, and no one will ever get full marks. You may even get above 80% - higher than all your friends but it's not 100%...
But somehow, by the mysterious plan of the headmaster you get an acceptance letter; and then after a few years you find out that He expelled His Son from the school so that you could get in.
- I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but Jesus accepts us even when we have no right to be accepted. The only thing we can do is give our lives to Him and let His sacrifice give us a meaning to our lives.
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"...We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord..."
So I was reading Col 1'9 this morning and it struck me.
In order to abide in the will of God,
You must have Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding. = Then the way I live will please Him.
ie: FORMULA = Spiritual(Wisdom+Understanding)/Applied = Pleasing God
So how do I get this Wisdom ?
1. ASK = JAMES 1'5 // 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
2. FEAR GOD = PROV 9'10 // Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Now we understand the process of asking, we do it every day... but what about fearing ?
** FEAR - profound reverence and awe.
- All we need to do to Fear God , is to have an accurate picture of who He is. When you understand who an important person is, fear comes automatically. Read the Old Testament epic stories ... read Jesus New Testament Miracles , Watch the Blue Planet . Look outside !!!
When you see the things He's made, what He's done in the past --- the very fact that HE IS GOD of the Universe and beyond. It'll come ;)
How do I get this Understanding ?
1. Knowledge = PROV 9'10 // Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.
What does it mean to know someone ??
-**KNOW = (1) : to perceive directly : have direct cognition of
(3) : to recognize the nature of : discern
(1) : to recognize
(2) : to be acquainted or familiar with
(3) : to have experience of
(2) : to be acquainted or familiar with
(3) : to have experience of
- Do you see those words ?! It makes perfect sense ... to know God is to recognise Him, to be acquainted with Him, to have direct cognition of Him.
- Okay now KNOW is a verb of finality... it takes a process of which 'to know' someone is the end result.
So what is this process ?
I literally googled this and found some results that said things like :
- Initiate a conversation
- Spend time together
-Pay close attention to the person
-Listen carefully to them
-Be vulnerable with them
There were lists and lists of thing to 'get to know someone'.
Think about it in your own life ... whose your favourite person in the world, how often do you speak to them ?
For example ... My Mummy and I are best friends , we speak on average about 1.5 hours a day (I'm a few hours away from her at Uni), when I have an important decision to make I call and ask her what to do, I get her permission on things like trips and outings, I value her opinion above anyone else, when something amazing happens she the first person I want to tell. When I'm upset , shes the one I go to, when I find something funny - I think: "Mummy would have loved that."
- Get the picture ?
I know you have someone in your life who is like that too. But more importantly GOD - is to be in that relationship with you and share in so much more, because He never leaves. He's always around and PSALMS 37'23 : The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Thats right EVERY DETAIL.
Don't lock even one door of Your house to Him. You might find that His transforming skills make your house in to the most beautiful home.
IMTAPA
xXx
