Knowing Christ

What should be the goal of our lives? What should be the nucleus of all our resolutions, commitments, goals, and strivings? If our lives could have one mission - one focus - what should it be?

This morning as I spent time with God, I read in Philippians 3, which is one of my favorite passages. These verses were just what my heart needed to hear and believe, especially as I prepare to close off 2007, and renew my mind and heart for 2008.

Listen to God's amazing a restoring Word:

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted lost for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and I count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ ... that I may know Him." Phil. 3:7-8, 10

Knowing Christ - that is where our heart should be. All the things I accomplished this past year, all my fleshly improvements, achievements, goals reached, and plans accomplished - I count them but loss in view of the surpassing and incredible value and worth of knowing Jesus Christ more everyday of my life. This is the meaning a purpose of our lives: knowing Jesus.

Another verse just came to mind:

"Thus says the Lord, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord." Jer. 9:23-24

Our boasting - our worth - comes simply from knowing God. That's what He cares about, is us knowing more about Him. In a world that boasts in wealth and riches, success and fame, the Christian is commanded by God to find his wealth in the knowledge of Christ. We are to be "attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. 2:2-3)

Knowing Christ not only fulfills our purpose and meaning in life, but it brings hope and love, freedom and discovery in everyday. To live is Christ - we live to know, love, and live for Jesus. It's all about Him.

All I once held dear, built my life upon, All this worlds reveres, and wars to own, All I once thought gain I have counted loss, Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Knowing You, Jesus, Knowing You, There is no greater thing, Your're my all, You're the best, You're my joy, my righteousness, And I love You, Lord

Now my heart's desire is to know You more, To be found in You and known as Yours, To posses by faith what I could not earn, All-surpassing gift of righteousness

Oh, to know the power of Your risen life, And to know You in Your sufferings, To become like You in Your death, my Lord, So with You to live and never die

Graham Kendrick  www.grahamkendrick.co.uk

I love this song... such a beautiful prayer and heart's cry to Jesus. "Now my heart's desire is to know You more..." as the song says, is the echo of my heart for this New Year and all my life. And I pray right now for you, that this coming year would be overflowing with the knowledge of Christ in your life; that you would seek Him first, know Him first, and love Him first and foremost in your life. 

Remember, a bride always seeks to know her groom more; it cultivates their love for one another. It is the same with us and Jesus, our Heavenly Groom; we must know Him to love Him. If you desire to love Christ passionately with all your soul, get to know Him through His Word. Daily spend time with Him praying, reading, and abiding in Him. He will captivate your heart and kindle a faithful love for Him in your soul. Loving Jesus = Knowing Jesus

Cultivate Faithfulness

In our world and culture today, many are focusing on making their resolutions for the upcoming year; losing weight, joining gyms, spending more time with family and friends, cooking healthy, improving character traits that are lacking, even purposing to spend more time with God. And yet, to me, I think we as children of God, brides of Christ, and aliens in this world should have a different approach to the New Year and the desire to make resolutions.

 Introducing: Faithfulness

Our lives should consist of more than "resolutions" that are enthusiastically made but then lose their appeal after just a few weeks. Rather our lives should maintain a faithfulness to God in every moment of our lives - January 1st or October 17th (just a random date). We look into the world and see a delight in short-lived experiments rather than life-long commitments. But sadly, Christians seldom differ from non-Christians in their faithfulness; to God, spouse, children, other relationships, jobs, education, etc. We suffer greatly from the lack of faithfulness.

Shouldn't we as Christians be setting the example of a faithful and loving bride waiting for her Husband to return? Aren't our marriages supposed to reflect the relationship of Christ and the church, especially in faithfulness? And to those of us who are single, aren't our lives of devotion and faithfulness to Jesus supposed to encourage curiosity as they wonder where we find our satisfaction, everlasting joy and unfailing love? We are losing our impact on the world because we struggle to remain faithful to God and to each other. We run from one thing to another looking for happiness in the wrong places - just like the lost. How can we recover? How can we reach the lost if we ourselves are too entangled in our unstableness and unfaithfulness to reach out in the power of a life lived faithfully for Jesus?

 Cultivating Faithfulness

 "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness." (Psalms 37:3)

How do we begin to cultivate faithfulness? 

First I would say that a deep and steady relationship to the Lord is required. Daily spending time with Him, meditating on His Word, being devoted to prayer, and memorizing Scripture is a healthy recipe for faithfulness. There is no "list" on becoming faithful, only a present mind and correct attitude will help increase it. Just like in a marriage there is really no "10 steps to a great marriage", but rather an awareness of specific ingredients needed for a healthy relationship with your spouse. It is the same towards God. You must spend time with Him to know Him. You must talk (pray) and listen to communicate. Thinking about (meditating on) Him during your day will encourage deeper communion with Him. Naturally you will begin to memorize things about Him; you begin to know Him more. You become faithful.

  As your faithfulness increases, your life changes forever. Instead of seeking temporary happiness in other things or people, you run to the only God, the Faithful One, who embraces you in His arms of love and protection. When life gets tough and things happen you just weren't expecting, your faithfulness to God and His faithfulness to you will carry you through the fire. 

Faithfulness isn't easy. In fact, sometimes it is the hardest thing to do. But Jesus didn't say this ways going to be easy - it is hard. But His faithfulness is what makes this life so sweet. If we can remain steadfast and faithful to Him, He promises that we will be saved. (Mark 13:13) He will rescue us, like the Knight in shining armor that He is. How great is His faithfulness! 

 Remember the Faithful One

When I struggle in my faithfulness to Jesus, the one thing that grips me and holds my life, my very heartbeat, is HIS faithfulness. God is a covenant God - He won't let go, ever. He was the One who, dying on a cross, endured - was faithful - in the midst of the pain, blood and tears, suffering at the wish of His Father so I might be saved from the eternal death that awaited me. When He prayed until He sweated blood that the cup might be taken away from Him, but wasn't, He surrendered His will to God and was faithful, obedient unto death - for you and me. (Phil. 2:8)

How this knowledge gives us the encouragement and dedication to be faithful to Jesus. I hope, even in the midst of your resolutions, that you determine to be faithful to Christ no matter what happens this year, or in this life.

Let us be called the faithful.

"These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." (Rev. 17:14) 

Commiting To God

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday." Ps. 37:5-6

Commit: to give in trust; to put in the hands or power of another; to entrust; to engage, to pledge. ~Webster 1828 

Continuing our study on these precious verses in Psalms 37, we come to this command of committing to the Lord. I think it is greatly appropriate that we read this command with the New Year right around the corner, for so many are making resolutions. What a great resolution to truly commit to our Lord in this upcoming year.

Committing is parallel with the command to trust, which we read about earlier. In fact, in this same verse, they are used side by side. Commit to the Lord; trust also in Him. To be committed is a long term agreement; serious dedication. You are placing something into the hands of Someone else to have power over, to take charge.

In the Christians life this is fundamental to our faith. Not only do we commit to Jesus at the moment of salvation, but it should be the characteristic of our daily relationship with Christ. When something happens we weren't expecting, we commit it into the hands on the Lord. Every morning when we awake, we commit this day to Jesus. When a loved one suffers and their comfort is out of our hands, we commit them to God in prayer.

How worthy is our Lord to be committed to!
"You are my rock and my fortress; for Your names sake You will lead me and guide me ... for You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth." Psalms 31:5

These are beautiful verses, for not only do they tell of David's commitment to God, but also God's worthiness to be trusted. God is a Rock. God is a Fortress. He leads and He guides. He ransomed us, and He is the truth we need in this hazy world. Therefore we can commit to Him - we can trust Him.

We read the promise in the verse (Ps 37:5). And ... He will do it.
God rewards our commitment to Him. He loves those who entrust their lives to Him. And we can know He is near...because the peace we receive after letting go of false control and committing everything to our Lord is just a glimpse of His pleasure in our trust in Him. Truly He handles our affairs and lives much better than our feeble little hands ever could. As His children we must commit to our Father and hold His strong and tender hand with a trusting heart.

Commit to God, dear child of His.

The Sunrise Came

"Because of the tender mercies of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:78-79

Merry Christmas to all! I pray that your hearts are filled with the Sunrise of Jesus Christ, and that He guides your feet into ways of peace this season.

I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone of you, my faithful viewers, for your support, your precious comments, links, and friendship. I feel so blessed and honored that you even make time in your day to read my thoughts on Jesus and what He is showing me. This has been a treasure in my life... and I thank you. You'll never know the impact you have had on this young woman's heart that you have never even seen face to face. God bless you all, my dear friends.

Merry Christmas!!!

Jesus...Come Again

Christmas is here...a precious time of remembrance and celebration. We remember that over 2,000 years ago, a Savior was born for us in a humble stable, although He was a King. We celebrate because Jesus, this King, is changing our hearts and our world forever.

This is the season for Advent. Advent literally means "coming". Yes, Jesus did come - and I am so thankful that He did. And there is more to Advent than focusing on Christ's "coming" through His birth... yes, so much more. The promise of Advent for us is that Jesus is coming again...

The King will come again

Especially in these times we should be daily meditating on the fact that Jesus is going to come again, and soon. And the Christmas season should be a great comfort and encouragement to our hearts because we can be sure that Jesus came once - He will come again. This is comfort! Even during the heavy trials we may endure, the painful relationships we encounter, the persistent physical pain that just won't leave - we can have comfort. Jesus is coming again, to take us home to be with Him forever. He'll wipe away ever tear, He'll calm every fear.

How this knowledge should effect our daily walk. If we can be faithful and diligent in fixing our eyes on sweet Jesus, and setting our hearts on "the things above", how our lives would transformed from a pit of despair and failure, to abundant and purposeful life. We must cling to Christ. We must remember His coming.

The Greatest Gift

In the midst of all the presents we receive and the gifts we give, let us remember the greatest gift we've ever been given: eternal life! Yes, we've been given Jesus the Lover of our souls, but remember the blessed gift He has given us - eternal life. It's our free gift with salvation, our comfort in life, and our joy in death. Our lives are eternal if we believe in Jesus. We will one day live forever with Him. (oh, the precious thought!)

This gift we've been given is available for everyone. Do we think of sharing this gift with loved ones this season? With friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents? How I stand convicted. The gospel is the perfect gift for everyone: man, woman, boy or girl. We must only be faithful in following the Holy Spirit's leading to share it.

Come, Lord Jesus

As you read the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke this season, I recommend also reading Revelation chapters 21 and 22. These chapters wrap up the written Word of God and wrap my heart in Christ's love and the excitement of His coming. They add a "bigger" realm to His birth, more passion to this life, and a greater knowledge to why He came and the results of His return.

"Behold, I am coming quickly..." (Rev. 22:12) "The Spirit and the bride (that's us!) say, "Come"... "Come, Lord Jesus." (Rev. 22:17, 20) May your heart rejoice in His coming; first, in His birth, second, in His great return to take us home!

Come again, sweet Jesus.

A Bride of Christ

There are few greater fulfillment's in life than in becoming a bride. It is every woman's dream to be loved passionately by a devoted man, who lives and breathes loving you, and has chosen you to be his forever bride. We dream of the moments to be spent together; holding hands, feeling his protection and love, starting a new life as a couple. But for myself, and many other young women, this "fulfillment" found in a man's love is what it has always been...still a dream.But do we have to wait to live a fulfilled life here and now without having a husband? Is there a satisfaction to be had before marriage? Or do only the married women find ultimate happiness and joy?

Searching For Fulfillment

Not many years ago, I was asking these questions and searching for answers. My greatest desire in life was to get married and raise a godly family. These are not wrong desires...in fact they are good and biblical desires. But God was showing me something more, something I wasn't prepared to hear - that HE is what I should desire - even more, much more, than I desire a future husband and children. The empty, lonely place inside of me that I thought a husband would fill could only be filled with Christ Himself.What might surprise you is that I was already a Christian at this time of searching, and had been since I was very young. But I still had desires in my heart that weren't satisfied. I was thirsty for a "someone". God was showing me that HE was that Someone. He wanted me to embrace Him as my Lover and future heavenly Husband, and find the fulfillment and satisfaction my heart craved. I needed to delight in being a Bride of Christ.

Being a Bride of Christ

A bride is consumed with her groom; everything about him she adores. There is a beautiful radiance in her face, a brighter smile than she had before, and a contentment of heart and contagious joy that permeates her entire being. We can be this way towards Christ. He is a passionate Lover and pursuer of our hearts. We need to surrender to His love. I didn't love Jesus as I should. His love was (and is) always available for my longing heart and fervent desires. I was just searching in the wrong places. But that was about to change - I was about to taste and see for myself if Jesus "tasted" good and satisfied my hungry soul.When I was around fourteen or so, I noticed something unusual about my mother. Her walk with God was different that anyone I had ever seen. God and spending time with Him wasn't a burden to her, it was pure pleasure. Her eyes lit up when she talked about Him. She was always reading and sharing with us from God's Word and things that God was teaching her...and it was amazing! Her relationship with God was so full of passion, and I began to wonder what was with her. So one day I asked, and she told me. She was in love with Jesus.What?! How can you be "in love" with Someone you can't even see or talk to or look at? I didn't get it. But I wanted what she had. I told her my struggles and she prayed for me. Then she told me something I should do: first, begin praying to fall in love with Jesus. And second, start pursuing Him.

Finding True Love 

So I did what she said. I began fervently praying that I would fall in love with Jesus, and that He would give me eyes to see His amazing love for me and His infinite worth. I started setting aside time just to pursue Him; daily reading His Word and praying, taking walks just to talk with Him, and singing my heart out in complete adoration of Him. And slowly...and miraculously...I fell madly (or rather happily) in love with Jesus! He began to fill my lonely heart with unfailing love and a constant presence of peace. No longer was my walk with God a burden, but it was a pleasure my heart couldn't live without. I found satisfaction in Jesus - even if God chooses for me to remain single my entire life, I am at peace and will delight in Him. Falling in love with Christ was (and is) the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. And the results are with me to this day.I am here to tell you that Jesus can not only be your Salvation and ticket to heaven, but He can be you Lover too. In fact, in Scripture we are described as Christ's bride waiting earnestly for His return. And the life we live now is a preparation for our Life to come. He will return to take us to His kingdom He has prepared for us. He asks us to be faithful and devoted to Him in this time we have on earth. To love Him above all else. To tell others of His love and return.

"Belonging to Jesus, sold out to Him. Saying "yes" to His plans and His voice...realizing that being His bride is the ultimate of all callings...can you be content, for now, as the bride of Christ? Can you set aside a period of time...and all your longings and desires...to serve Him exclusively? Can you trust Him with your future? With a mate? With His timing and plan for your life?" - Ann Kiemel Anderson

He's coming back for us...won't you be His faithfully watching and adoring bride?

Delighting in God

"Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4  Delight: a high degree of pleasure, or satisfaction of mind, joy - delight is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependant on sudden excitement.~Webster 1828 Out of all the verses quoted and misunderstood I believe this verse is right near the top. From first glance, one might interpret this verse as "God will give me whatever I want", but with closer examination, we see that this is not the case. The "catch" is the first part you read...delight yourself in the Lord - then He will give you the desires of your heart.

But what does "delighting in God" really mean? For a long time I thought delight was merely being happy, but reading the definition above added so much clarity to my understanding of this verse as well as my entire relationship with God.

 

Delight is satisfaction. It is more permanent than joy, and it isn't a "rush" of temporary excitement. It's a deep, steady pleasure that lasts and satisfies our entire being.

 

As I look back on what I first thought "delight" meant, I see that I was missing the point. It is one thing to be happy, and another thing to be satisfied.

 

How this changes the meaning of this verse! It means if you are completely satisfied in God, He will give you the desires of your heart.

 

But what does a God-satisfied heart want? It wants exactly what God wants. Filtered out are our fleshly desires, and they are replaced with the desires of God's pleasure and will...the eternal desires that God created in us.

 

Some might say that a satisfied heart desires nothing. Well, again, I think we miss the point. When we are satisfied in God, no longer do we crave the meaningless, profitless things of this world, but our hearts are burning with desires, the desires of our Master. We desire to make Him (not us) famous. We desire to share His good news and love with the world. We desire to know Him even more. We desire to walk worthy of His name and give others the correct perception of Him.

 

Our hearts are overflowing with desires! But they all point back to Jesus. No longer do we seek a temporary appetizer, we are feasting on the cream of the crop, and that is Christ.

 

Being satisfied with God is how we find our purpose and our pleasure. This is what we were made for! This is life!

 

"You were made to feast on Christ, to be satisfied with Him, to treasure His infinite value, to enjoy making much of Him all your days. Here is your fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore: not in being made much of, but in making much of Him." ~ John Piper

 

My encouragement to you is to be satisfied with Jesus. Pray for a hunger for more of Him. Pray that you would delight in Him all your days, and to forevermore be satisfied in Him alone. He will answer your prayer...for this is what you were made for.

 

Delight in Jesus...He'll give you the desires of your heart.

Trusting in God

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness." Psalms 37:3

Trust: 1) confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person 2) to believe 3) to venture confidently
- Webster 1828

Trust is a vital necessity in a believer's life, heart and mind. It is commanded in Scripture, and demanded in this life we live. Without it we are left alone - helpless, hopeless, and insecure. Trust is fundamental to every relationship...especially between us and God.
Sadly, trust in God is commonly assumed to be possessed by many an anxious and fretting heart, weighed down by the reliance on an earthly being or substance.

I speak from experience, for I am the one to say, and even convince myself, that I trust in God...but my actions, motives, and worrying thoughts give me away, revealing the truth in my heart of a dependence on myself.

I know this is why God gave me Psalms 37:3, for He knew how much I needed to trust Him more and bear the fruit of a trusting heart.

Trust bears fruit, good fruit, as this verse declares. Trust in the Lord and do good. If you trust in God your actions reveal an evidence of that trust; the fruit is the evidence.
If I say I trust in God that He will one day bring me a husband in His time and in His way, but I go about worrying up a storm that "I'm gonna end up an old maid..." or "I have got to find someone..." am I really trusting God?
As the definition of trust said, trust is a reliance and resting of the mind on the attribute or principle of Someone. Go back to the end of the verse: cultivate faithfulness. In another version (which I kinda like better) it says "feed on His faithfulness". This is one of the principles we can trust - God is FAITHFUL. He's not going to leave us. He's not going to forsake us. Therefore we can trust Him.

For me, part of trusting God was letting go of other things that held my trust.
One of them was trusting in myself; leaning on my own understanding, relying on my strength. (Prov. 3:5)
God showed me (and continually shows me) that I am nothing without Him. (John 15:5) In all my best efforts and can't do a single good thing without Jesus. Seeing myself for what I truly am made me need and trust God so much more. I need Jesus. And I trust Him to continue His perfecting and sanctifying work in my heart by His Spirit.

But there are so many more things that can capture our trust. Like I said above, you can capture your trust...you don't trust God, you trust yourself. This is serious and deadly to our faith. If we trust ourselves, why do we even need a God? Remember, we will crash and burn without God...He is worthy of our trust.
Money can capture your trust.
In the words of our Lord, "You cannot serve (or trust) both God and money." Money is here today and gone tomorrow. God is here yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8)
A spouse or parent can capture your trust.
I am not saying we should not trust our spouses or parents, but when we trust in them above and more than we trust in God this is dangerous. Love "bears all things, believes all things (trust)" (1 Cor. 13:7) and in our relationships we must have trust - in fact it is vital - but not above our trust in God.

He must be supreme and trusted above anything and anyone.

May we grow in our trust in God. Remember, He is so faithful.

Lessons From Psalms 37

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of Him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing." (Psalms 37:3-8)

These verses have a very special place in my heart, for God has taught me many beautiful things through them. I'm sure you understand...I think every believer has those few "special" verses that God has used (uses) mightily in their lives.

These verses contain such abundant wisdom and amazing promises for every day and every life.

I remember many years ago when God gave me these verses - I had actually read them many times before, but this time God really spoke to my heart through them - it was as if I literally heard His voice speaking these words at a time in my life when I was searching for direction and hope, and God was so faithful to answer through His Word. These are great life verses!

In the near future I will write (by God's grace) four posts dissecting the four commands found in these verses: trusting, delighting, committing, and resting in God.

I pray you are powerfully encouraged through God's Word.

25 Days Until Christmas!

"For a Child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Just a reminder that God sent His Son Jesus for you and for me...and that is what Christmas is all about.