"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without
God and the Bible." (George Washington)
The greater our knowledge, the higher
our influence on others
“The natural person does not accept the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand
them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)
What
does the Bible itself say regarding the importance of Education? A
wisest king ever lived-in History, said in Proverbs 23:12 “Apply your
heart to discipline (Education) and your ears to words of knowledge.” In
another words Listen to instruction and do your best to learn. And “For
the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and
understanding”. (Proverbs 2:6)
Education is the foundation for a good and
fulfilling life, setting the individual on a path of personal fulfillment,
economic security and societal contribution. Today the world of knowledge and
competence is in a constant state of unrest. The same can be said for the life
of visions, aspirations, and dreams. For many centuries it had been considered
that education in general and academia in particular were responsible for the
moral and social development of students and for bringing together diverse groups
for the common good. Is this still the case? The key that unlocks the door to building of a
better world is SPIRITUAL EDUCATION. But, not any education and surely not the
education mostly on offer currently, but a truly different form of education,
an education grounded in Holy Scripture. Let us consider to study and comprehend
the power of Spiritual Education in this section.
Bible begins with one of the most profound
statements ever made in the hearing of men. “In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) This verse begins with the
greatest observable knowledge known to man: the existence of the two imperative
realms, the heavens and the earth, (Genesis 1:1); and it links to
that the greatest knowledge made known by revelation: the existence of a God
who creates. There is thus brought together in this simple verse at the
beginning of the Bible the recognition of the two great sources of human comprehension:
Natural knowledge, which is discoverable by the five senses of our physical
life; Jesus gave us a classical illustration about natural knowledge in Matthew
24:32 “From the fig tree learn its
lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know
that summer is near.”(ESV) and Revelation knowledge, which
is discoverable only by a mind and heart illuminated and taught by the Spirit
of God. These things "are spiritually discerned," says the Apostle
Paul (1 Corinthians 2:14).Both of these sources of knowledge are from God,
and each of them is a means of knowing God.
The scientist who studies nature is searching
ultimately for God. Nature is designed to teach us certain knowledge about God,
but revelation is designed to lead us to the God about whom nature speaks. Thus
the two are complementary. They are not contradictory in any sense, but
complete one another. This is why psalmist says “The heavens proclaim the glory
of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” (Psalm 19:1) Dr. Frederick
Arthur Filby , said “The material world is designed to produce parallels --
parables -- of the spiritual. There is indeed a spiritual law operating in the
natural world, and God put us on a planet where light is separated from
darkness for our spiritual education as well as for our physical needs. There
is a spiritual, as well as a physical reason, for the pattern of creation and
he who divorces science from true religion will never be able to come to a real
understanding of the world
The first important passage about importance of
learning is found in the Old Testament is Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Hear, O
Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments
that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your
children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands
and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses
and on your gates.” (NIV) This verse starts with a command to hear what
God has to say. This also points to the imperative of the next two verses that,
in a nutshell, are about memorizing and knowing, teaching and applying God’s
Word. God is commanding us to teach ourselves and our children His Word, so
that it penetrates our hearts, minds and will—that is, every aspect of who we
are. And, then, we are to write it down and bind it to all our daily aspects of
life. That call is still for us today. Apostle Paul made it clear in his letter
to Colossians.
“ Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the
Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in
[all its] richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another
in all insight and intelligence and wisdom [in spiritual
things, and as you sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to
God with [His] grace in your hearts.”(Colossians 3:16AMP)
The second important passage in the New
testament is 2 Timothy 3:14-17, “But as for you, continue in what
you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom
you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which
are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.” (NIV) In this passage, Paul gives us a similar call to
heed God’s Word. Call to scrutinize, understand, and then apply Scripture. This
is the basic inductive precept. This passage is not an instruction to give the
Bible the occasional “once over.” It is the clear, uncompromising call to
continue in our studies constantly and passionately.
These Scriptures call us to live our lives as
pleasing to our God, as countless other passages do, such as Proverbs 1:7, “The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” which is the understanding and
vigorous reverence of God. It is not the fear a child has of darkness or what
is under the bed. It is the wow, the wonder, awe, and majesty of God. And,
this understanding is wisdom to deal with life, to make the most out of what He
gives us in our gifts and opportunities.
Many people wonder why such a strong emphasis is
placed on a book that was written thousands of years ago. How could its ancient
writings possibly be relevant today?”First of all be ought to recognize that
the Bible is the only infallible and authoritative revelation of God. It is God's word to man. It is
direct revelation from the Creator of the universe to His creation.
Although there are numerous reasons why the Bible is important, here are just a
few to consider:
Bible itself declares that “All Scripture is
inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize
what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to
do what is right.”(2 Timothy 3:16NLT)
Bible is
the established, Eternal principles for our comprehensive Education.
“Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89)
Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass
away.”(Matthew 24:35)
When Jesus walked on the earth, He taught the
people by parables. Parables are special stories because they teach us a
lesson and help us understand more about God and His constitution. The
Bible tells us in Matthew 7:24-27 that Jesus told a story about two men who
built two houses. The wise man builds his house on the rock and the foolish
man builds his house on the sand. This illustration gives us an insight about
making wise choices in life. Then Jesus said, "Therefore whoever hears
these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built
his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the
rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25.) The true education is based on the Word of God: Understanding
the foundational nature of Truth in God’s word is essential to building a
Biblical worldview for every Christians. Biblical Truth is as indispensable to
living for Christ as a sure foundation is indispensable to supporting a
building so it will stand firm during a severe storm. The never-changing Truth
of God’s word will support a Biblical worldview through the storms and trials
of everyday life and withstand the worldly attacks we will face at academia and
beyond.
One of the marvels of the Bible is that it uses
language that communicates with people of the most primitive and limited
understanding, while at the same time it still has significance, and
inexhaustible meaning, to the most scholarly and intellectual of men. It
addresses itself with equal simplicity to all classes of mankind. No other book
has that distinction. One of the greatest influences that have led and made me
think the most and changed the way I see the world is the Holy Bible. From this
greatest book; I learned that this is the only book in the world that offers
objective evidence to be the Word of God and gives real proof of its divine
inspiration. The Bible, more than any other book,
has influenced untold numbers of people over the course of centuries and
continues to be the number one bestselling book of all time.
The
Bible is the only book that offers Eternal salvation as a free gift and
contains the greatest moral standards of any book. It
would be impossible to claim to be an educated person in today's world
without having at least some familiarity with the events contained in this
book. Actually, all of the events contained in this book should be known by
everyone. The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed. God
has commanded Christian parents to teach their children about Him and about the
way of salvation. Because God has created and rules over everything, the study
of anything should lead students toward a better knowledge of Him (John 17:3).
Through this kind of study, with the Lord’s help, the student gains wisdom to
avoid the sin of the past, improve upon the thinking of forefathers, and to
instill godliness in future generations.
The
Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.
Psalmist says “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against
you. that I might not sin against thee;” (Psalm 119:11) the word of God is a
most powerful antidote against sin, when it has a place in the heart; not only
the precepts of it forbid sin, but the promises of it influence and engage to
purity of heart and life, and to the perfecting of holiness in the fear of the
Lord; and all the doctrines of grace in it effectually teach the saints to deny
all sin and worldly lusts, and to live a holy life and conversation. Within the
covers of the Bible are the answers for all the ethical and other problems men
face.
“Ethics”
comes from the Greek word for morals. Morals are principles or standards of
conduct that define the difference between good and evil, and right and wrong
in the sphere of human action. Ethics seeks to determine the “ought” dimension
of life, i.e., what we ought to do when faced with moral decisions and
dilemmas. Therefore, the study of ethics is learning how to make proper moral judgments
and live righteously before God and man. The very nature of ethics requires
systematized moral thinking, i.e., ethics requires critical thinking that not
only defines what we ought to do in each situation, but places our moral
decisions in the context of a coherent ethical philosophy that self-consciously
acts on the basis of a recognized standard. “Christian ethics” refers (or at
least it should) to the ethical system presented in Holy Scripture, and another
name for Christian ethics could be “biblical ethics.” Spiritual ethics is a distinct discipline which seeks to
answer the question of good and evil in human conduct in every sphere of
government (personal, family, church, and state), and in every aspect of life
(work, business, the arts, education, war, economics, entertainment, science,
medicine, and law) on the basis of God’s word-revealed law ( Bible).
The word “education” is based on a Latin term that
means to lead forth, bring up, or train. Noah Webster defines “education” as:
“The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education
comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to
enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and
habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future
stations.” The central idea of education is not the accumulation of
knowledge and facts, or of mere technical skills. Though education includes
these things, education aims to train the student in all facets of his being so
that he will be prepared to live life successfully. Central to a proper
education is training, as Webster puts it, in “manners.” What does he mean by
“manners”? Manners, according to Webster, refers to “behavior; conduct; course
of life; in a moral sense.” In other words, education involves training in
ethics.
Since all
of life involves moral judgments, we cannot dispense with the questions of
ethics in any thing we do. You cannot have a Christian approach to science,
economics, or the arts without grounding the pursuit and application of these
disciplines in biblical ethics. Mere knowledge and technology may determine
what we can do, but in themselves they cannot answer the question of
what we ought to do; for this we must have spiritual ethics, i.e., a
biblical system of ethics that can determine on the authority of God’s Word
what we ought to do with our scientific knowledge and technical skills.
Question we need to ask is Do we have a place in
our curriculum to teach our people an explicitly Biblical system of ethics? If
we do not, and if we claim to be Christian educators, then we must provide a
place for instruction in Spiritual ethics. This is an absolute necessity in the
world we live in. The moral sphere is in near total chaos in the wider culture,
and the church is not far behind. If Christians are going to live lives to the
glory of God, walk a path of righteousness, and be a light to the world, they
need to know how to determine good and evil and how to answer moral questions
from the Holy Bible.
The
Bible is the only credible guide either as to the real
relationship between man and the earth and the great Creator of both or
concerning the purpose of the creation of both. Bible is God’s
message to the people He created. It reveals Himself, His plans, and His
amazing love for the world, which is the greatest reason of all to justify the
importance of the Bible. All learning is related to Scripture with the purpose
of showing the broad themes and principles of human experience. Because
"All things are ours, we are Christ's and Christ is God's" (I
Corinthians 3:22-23), and because "Whatever was said aright, by any man,
at any time, belongs to us Christians" (Justin Martyr), we are able to
study and enjoy the very best of human endeavor in art, literature, and music. The
Bible serves as a fundamental tool for understanding many literary works,
historical studies, and current events. No other book is quoted or alluded to
in literature or in world history more than the Bible. God’s Word is
authoritative (John 1:1, 14, 14:6) a.) It is above traditions (Mathew 15:1-3)
b.) It is above human experience (II Peter 1:16-19) c.) It is above human
knowledge and wisdom (1 Cor. 1: 18-23)
The
Bible is the only Book in the world that logically can be considered inerrant
in the autographs and documented scientific and medical prevision. Bible is
important because it is infallible. (It means Incapable of failure or error
(Psalm 19:7) No Other ancient book is
ever carefully analyzed along scientific lines, but many books have been
written on the theme of the Bible and modern science and it is the only major
ancient religious Scripture whose complete textual preservation is established
as virtually autographic. It is contemporary and essential for
Christians - It is critical that children be given the tools of logical
analysis. Christian youths need to see that Christianity is not mere subjective
feeling; rather it is intellectually defensible and offers rational
understanding where other systems fail.
The Bible is not just about a list of do’s and
don’ts, but this book says “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of
Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never
had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21.It shows us how we are to view
God and each other, how we are to conduct ourselves, and how we are to measure
our ideas and activities. Bible is not a book of restrictions. Instead it is
God's wisdom to transform our life to be conformed to the image of Lord Jesus
Christ. Christ is the wisdom of God. Wisdom is the
capacity to see things from the Lord’s viewpoint and respond according to His
principles. You can’t instantly download that ability, but you can acquire it
gradually over time. Knowledge comes from learning Bible; understanding is to
comprehend and wisdom has to do with applying them. The Lord cautions us to
keep His Word in our heart and in our mind so that we will heed His
instructions (Ps. 119:11; Prov. 8:33).
Bible
contains all wisdom we need to know for our salvation and godly living
Bible declares that “Christ is the wisdom of God” "In
him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Hence it is that
the knowledge of Christ not only transcends all other knowledge– but includes
them all; the study of this wondrous embodiment of all that is in God is not
only superior to– but actually embraces, all other studies. Here we cannot
fathom this; hereafter we may. Here we cannot see how a discovered Christ
should be the discovery of all other things, all science, all nature, all
things in heaven and earth; hereafter we shall find it so. Wisdom is one of the
last things which we are in the habit of connecting with the name of Christ. We
connect with it salvation, pardon, life, righteousness, love– but not wisdom.
Yet it is wisdom that God so especially associates with Christ. "He, of
God, is made unto us wisdom."
BIBLE CONNECTS YOU TO THE MOST WISE PERSON EVER
LIVED IN HISTORY.
Have you ever wondered why we should study the
Bible? What
does the Bible itself say regarding the importance of Bible study? We Must
Study the Bible because it is the Foundation for Life. Without God's Word we
will be purposeless and disrupted from our call and the purpose for our
salvation. When we base our lives on the Word of God, then Christ can create
His work in us by the power of the Spirit!
You’ll be amazed at what daily Bible reading can
do in your personal life. Be a life-student of God’s Word, studying it
regularly and systematically. God’s Word
is full of rich life application written to produce God’s best in our
life. It is meant to be read and digested on a daily basis. Daily
practice of mediation of God’s word with prayer will change your life because
IT CONNECTS YOU TO THE LIVING GOD. You may even think you know God. But if you
have not read the account offered firsthand throughout this book, you will, in
effect, know nothing definite about Him. The entire Old Testament points to Christ
and His coming, and the entire New Testament testifies to his life, death,
resurrection, ascension, teachings and second coming . It describes Jesus
as exactly who he claims to be: the Supreme Lord and Ruler over all of mankind
and the very creator God of the Universe.
If you think you know about God already,
consider the source of that "knowledge" and examine if this book may,
in fact, be a better source for true knowledge about the one true Creator God
that made you and everything else, both known an unknown in this Universe. When
it comes to the big picture of the Bible, the following anonymous quotation
sums up what the Bible is all about: “In the Old Testament we have Jesus
predicted. In the Gospels we have Jesus revealed. In Acts we have Jesus
preached. In the Epistles we have Jesus explained. In the Revelation we have
Jesus expected.” I spent last 26 years walking with him. It was a tremendously
exciting and glorious time and also a great learning and refining processes.
Walking with him showed me that we can influence and change our generation,
change our thinking, our words, our attitude, our behavior, our character and
change our heart and life.
There is no end to the gaining of knowledge; it is
only the foolish man who thinks he knows everything. Modern knowledge is very
complex and infinite in scope. Thousands of researchers, all over the world are
constantly at work to acquire more knowledge for us. But the massive increase
in Natural knowledge of the world sometimes doesn't make us better human
beings. Sadly, with the passage of time, man started misusing knowledge. He
started using knowledge to destroy the very forces that provided him sustenance.
He interfered with nature and disturbed the ecological balance. He has polluted
air, land and water. He has, thus created unfavorable conditions for himself
and others. Man has developed destructive weapons that can destroy completely
the whole of mankind. The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima proves the fact.
Man is posing a threat to the existence of flora and fauna. Knowledge shouldn't
be misused. Nuclear power must be used for useful purpose. Man should find
solutions to control and check pollution. Knowledge must be acquired and shared
as a collective effort .Lack of knowledge leads to poverty and absence of
economic prosperity. Knowledge should be utilized for the improvement of the underprivileged,
eradication of poverty and education of deprived. It should be used for peace,
prosperity and growth.
For a learner, everyone is a teacher. We
learn from nature, we learn from people, we learn from difficult experiences
and above all, we learn from our mistakes and failures. A community that values
success and despises failures is not a learning community. An organization
where people are afraid to make mistakes and are afraid to fail creates
timidity and cowardice. In such a culture, it is difficult to take risks and go
on a journey of adventure. Such an institution encourages people to take a
well-trodden path of security and predictability.
Christianity is a religion of knowledge,
understanding and wisdom. Christians are the royal priesthood- Kings and
priests – To offer up spiritual sacrifices - Not bloody offerings, the
blood of lambs and bullocks, but those which are the offerings of the heart -
the sacrifices of prayer and praise. Since there is a priest, there is also
involved the notion of a sacrifice; but that which is offered is such as all
Christians offer to God, proceeding from the heart, and breathed forth from the
lips, and in a holy life.( I Peter 2:5; 2:9, and Revelation 1:5-6.) The
priesthood of believers grows out of the priesthood of Christ. Kingdom
describes the body of the redeemed collectively. Priests indicate their
individual position. The saints are made "kings" by Christ; they are
so now; they have received a kingdom of grace, which cannot be taken away; and
they have the power of kings over sin, Satan, and the world, and all their
enemies; and they live and fare like kings, and are clothed like them, in rich
apparel, the righteousness of Christ; and are attended as kings, angels being
their lifeguards; and they will appear much more so hereafter, when they shall
reign on earth with Christ a thousand years, shall sit upon the same throne,
and have a crown of life and righteousness given them, and at last be
introduced into the kingdom of glory.
Where there is no solid biblical teaching, the
Christian life can neither commence nor continue. One of the basic differences
between the Mosaic regime (into which one was born physically) and the church
of Jesus Christ, is the fact that knowledge is prerequisite to identifying with
the faith of the gospel (Jer. 31:31-34). Jesus declared that favor with God
must involve instruction, reception, comprehension, and commitment (Jn. 6:45).Anyone
with a smattering of Bible knowledge, and any experience at all within our
brotherhood, is aware of the fact that the church of today is facing a time of
great crisis. Why are things in such a state of chaos? One of the reasons is
ignorance. There probably has not been a time in this century when Bible
knowledge among the people has sunk to such a base level. The knowledge which
the nation of Israel so desperately lacked was the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. To no
surprise, this is exactly the same knowledge which is woefully lacking in
modern world today. God has clearly stated in the Bible that He is NO
respecter of persons. God always honors repentance, whether it be an
individual or a nation. If any nation is to be saved, then she must once
again regain the knowledge of God. People are free to reject this book
and what it says. God made us "free moral agents" to choose as we
desire. Yet, people violate the teachings and wisdom of this book at their own
peril.
The Apostle Paul said Christ gave to the Church
some gifts, some functions. They are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors,
and teachers to train the saints for the work of their ministry. That word
“ministry” means to exercise their gifts according to the perfect will of God.
So the goal of all leadership is to serve people to discover their purpose and
then help them to refine and develop the character and skill in agreement with
God’s word. Then the Body will never suffer weakness because each one will
bring to the table their gift, their strength. We can teach ourselves and each
other to bring the Word of life in to all that we do. And, we can rest in the
assurance that the Word is directly inspired; it is His words to be put into
our actions, by His guidance and support. Thus, the opportunity is given to us
to seize His Word so we can be wise and live our lives with purpose, direction,
and meaning. In this way, we can impact our society with divine knowledge,
dignity and liberty, giving hope and showing the Way. Or, we can ignore Him, as
most people do, and live in a meaningless rut or, as the Bible say, to be
foolish. Or worse, we can be teachers of the Word yet refuse to be disciplined
ourselves, exchanging the truth of the Word for our arrogance and wanderlust!
Paul writes that “in the last days” men
and women would be “always learning and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth“ – 2 Timothy 3:7. And the next verse tells why. It
is because they “oppose the truth” (v. 8). A chapter later we read in
4:4, that people “will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn
aside to myths.” Today’s society is becoming impressed with self gratification.
Bible says “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will
come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,
boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to
parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious
gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God,”(2 Timothy 2:1-4) We seem to be preoccupied with promoting
ourselves to ourselves. There seems to be such a grab for self-promotion,
self-labeling, self-advertisement, and self-possession. Bible is full of
specific instruction on how we should treat each other. If we are serious about
following Christ, we will heed his admonition that "Whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mathew
25:40). Jesus Christ gave the command to his disciples to “Love one another.”
We are called to love one another.
Therefore Paul said “Work hard so you can present
yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not
need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”(2 Timothy
2:15NLT) When people die without being saved, it is not that God did not want
them to be saved, for He would “desires all men to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth” – 1 Timothy 2:4. “The Lord is . . . not
wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.“ – 2 Peter
3:9. God has given obtainable knowledge, and He has also given us free will, so
that whatever choice we make, that is the one that we will have to live with
for eternity.
Paul instructed Timothy to study in order to
correctly divide the word of truth. The words correctly or rightly
dividing translates a word which literally means to cut a straight furrow
across a field. As it is used here, it simply means to teach the truth
correctly and directly, or to handle it aright. “A good Bible teacher can
inspire hope, ignite the thoughts, and instill a love of learning scripture.” 2
Timothy 3 says that the Bible is profitable for teaching. The words useful
(NIV), and profitable (NKJV), imply that we actually profit
from God’s Word.
The knowledge of Christ produces obedience, and
love to the brethren. “People can be made free from the evil in the world. They
can be made free by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they go
back into those evil things and are controlled by them, then it is worse for
them than it was before. Yes, it would be better for them to have
never known the right way. That would be better than to know the right way and
then to turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them.” (2Pet
2:20-21-ERV)
Saving knowledge of Christ is a personal
knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person’s acquaintance with Him.
No, I must know Him for myself. Saving knowledge of Christ will be an
intelligent knowledge. I must know Him, not as the visionary dreams of Him—but
as the Word reveals Him. I must know His natures, divine and human. I must know
His offices—His attributes—His works—His death—His resurrection and His glory.
I must meditate upon Him until I am “able to comprehend with all the saints
what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love; and know the love
of Christ, which passes knowledge!”Saving knowledge of Christ will be an
affectionate knowledge of Him. Indeed, if I know Him at all, I must love Him.
An ounce of heart knowledge—is worth a ton of head learning!
Saving knowledge of Christ will be a satisfying
knowledge. When you know Christ, your mind will be full to the edge— David
said, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O
God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear
before God?" (Psalm 42:1, 2) David was following God all the time. He had
such a hunger and thirst for God. We live in a world that is hungry for so many
things. We see people that are hungry for fame, position, power and riches. But
God is always looking for people who are hungry for God.
The more we know of Jesus, the more we will want
to be like Him and to be with Him by becoming the manner of men and women that
He wishes us to be. it is the determinate will of God to bring them to the
knowledge of the truth, in order to salvation; and that same decree which fixes
salvation as the end, secures the belief of the truth as the means; and the
covenant of grace provides for their knowledge of spiritual things, as well as
other spiritual blessings; in consequence of which their minds are enlightened
by the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, and they have the knowledge of God
and Christ given them, which is life eternal. My deepest passion is that
we may all know the Savior and be known of Him; that we might engage in the
powerful process of hearing the Shepherd's voice and following Him and in the
process become like Him; that we might be counted among His friends and enjoy a
life like His—eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God.
“Jesus said
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever
believes in me shall never thirst.”(John 6:35) Jesus always gives an
invitation for us to come to him. Jesus said that the one who comes to Him
would He by no means cast away. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, "Come to
Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Knowledge
of Christ will be an exciting knowledge. The more we know Christ—the more we
become like Him. More you hunger and thirst for Him, the more will He reveal
Himself to you and the more you will yearn for Him. When you have a longing for
Jesus, no one needs to tell you to do the things of God. You cannot but be in
the things of God. When you hunger and thirst for God, all you will want to be
is in His presence all the time. You will be in prayer and fellowship with Him.
When you have a relationship with God, your heart's deepest craving and your
soul's greatest longing will be to know more about Jesus and His word. You will
want to fellowship with Jesus more and more and spend time with His word. There
is simply nothing more satisfying as the knowledge of who God is. Saving
knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most blissful. In fact, it will be so
elevating, that sometimes it will completely bear us up above all trials, and
doubts, and sorrows! Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).May the Good
Lord give us a greater desire and longing heart for acquiring the knowledge of
the sovereign God. Amen.
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