Is there any greater goal in life? Is there anything more important you could pray for someone you love?
Paul's prayer for the Ephesians reads in part: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (1:17) I prayed this prayer for my children, my wife and myself yesterday. And I prayed it also for all who read this blog. To grow in knowledge of the Eternal One, we need His help - His wisdom made available to us; His revelation being clear to our poor spiritual sight.
I remembered how the Apostle Paul said of himself, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord". (Phil. 3:8) He knew that knowledge of Christ was something to be pursued through both increased understanding and experience. It involves tapping into His power and sharing in his suffering, as we live daily with and for Him.
I think the only place where Jesus defined eternal life is in John 17:3 where he prayed, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
How amazing is this - that average humans, just tiny specks in a vast universe, are given the privilege of knowing and talking with the Almighty Creator God!
So if you are a believer who has come to know God through Jesus Christ - boast about it! That is correct. Don't boast about your wisdom, your wealth or any position of power that you may presently enjoy. Believers should "boast about this; that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight." Jeremiah 9:23, 24
Oh, and since our God delights in these things, we who know Him had better pursue "kindness, justice and righteousness."
Paul's prayer for the Ephesians reads in part: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (1:17) I prayed this prayer for my children, my wife and myself yesterday. And I prayed it also for all who read this blog. To grow in knowledge of the Eternal One, we need His help - His wisdom made available to us; His revelation being clear to our poor spiritual sight.
I remembered how the Apostle Paul said of himself, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord". (Phil. 3:8) He knew that knowledge of Christ was something to be pursued through both increased understanding and experience. It involves tapping into His power and sharing in his suffering, as we live daily with and for Him.
I think the only place where Jesus defined eternal life is in John 17:3 where he prayed, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
How amazing is this - that average humans, just tiny specks in a vast universe, are given the privilege of knowing and talking with the Almighty Creator God!
So if you are a believer who has come to know God through Jesus Christ - boast about it! That is correct. Don't boast about your wisdom, your wealth or any position of power that you may presently enjoy. Believers should "boast about this; that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight." Jeremiah 9:23, 24
Oh, and since our God delights in these things, we who know Him had better pursue "kindness, justice and righteousness."
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