Our Ambition

As believers of Christ it must be our ambition to pursue the knowledge of God. God has given us both the choice and the way for it. It is His will we understand Him. Sadly, many often fail to hold on to it and thus, lag behind in their endeavors and faithfulness toward Him; some even become reticent toward Him. Pursuing His knowledge has numerous benefits, but they appear only by our diligence. With benefits we surely become the people He wants. We will have all the spiritual ingredients that make us whole. When we practice diligence, we make the choice and take hold of His way. Hence, we also reap heavily. The principle for obtaining His knowledge is presented in the Word. “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase” (Dan. 12:4).

God has provided us the Word that our knowledge of Him is abundant. The manner for it is by reading and meditating on the Word on a daily basis. This is where our diligence is tested. God’s knowledge is infinite and He can provide us from it as often as we seek it. It is saddening when believers often choose to pursue the knowledge in the world than of God’s, which has all the answers and which is able to bring a matter to its conclusion; their mind works independent of their spirit in which God dwells. So, it appears palpable for them to pursue the knowledge in the world. Pursuing it over God’s knowledge is only a detriment. For it leads them into the unproductive and irrational thoughts of the mind and gives opportunity for Satan to overcome them. On the contrary, God’s Word not only educates us plainly of who He is and gives the dos and the don’ts, but also gives understanding for the things that come our way. This means for every matter, obstacle and pain God’s knowledge has an explanation leading to a solution. And His explanations will not always be as we hope them to be. But, if we are increasing in His knowledge, we will surely be in a better stead. This eventually leads us to something more special. We begin to clearly understand His ways toward mankind.

As high are His ways than ours, they are not without understanding. They are with higher wisdom which requires greater knowledge of Him. When we go back and forth in the Word and increase our knowledge, we understand them. Firstly, we see that they are not to harm us. Consider Daniel who understood visions. He understood God’s ways from them, because he understood God from God’s viewpoint. He understood His Word for what He literally meant it for. Certainly, there are the secret things that belong to God and so, the exact times were hidden from him. Yet, God’s knowledge put him in a better stead. He obtained liberation that reflects inner peace. Secondly, we realize how close God has brought us to Him. Now, we have the opportunity to interact with Him openly, frequently and without fear of losing. We can feel Him being with us in every step of the way. And what confidence we obtain to live out this life! Its fruit is invaluable.

1. We do not fear walking in the flesh. When God is with us, because He is in us, we walk in the regeneration brought about in us by the Spirit. Hence, Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Our inner man constantly interacts with God and the peace of God ever flows in us.

2. We do not waver in our convictions regarding God, Christ, His ways and promises. The things we are convinced of are the things we received from the knowledge of God. Since those things are of power, we do not waver. We have confidence in them by understanding His higher ways. Such is aloof from the flesh. For this reason, Paul also was able to serve God with a clear mind. He was quite aware of his convictions in Christ. For instance while speaking of judging one another because of food he said, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean” (Rom. 14:14).

3. We become captives of God. It means we do that which the Spirit said. “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). There is more of these things in the churches these days than Christ and is only increasing by the day. They are the primary reasons for believers to choose the knowledge in the world. One of the numerous benefits of the knowledge of God is being able to identify the things that should not take us captive. Many aspects such as health, prosperity, wisdom, perseverance, hope and inner strength evade us, if they take us captive. And God too becomes more and more distant to us while we are made to think otherwise. However, by being captive according to Christ we are captives of God only for good things.

4. We rejoice in our life for Christ, because there is a testimony made ready for us. “These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4). We live keeping in mind the kind of people God turned us into through Christ. We live without corruption. We accommodate to everything He seeks from us.

5. We remain His blessed people. Since we are the lesser beings, He blesses us unfathomably. For when the Word said “But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater” (Heb. 7:7) we are not excluded. By faith we have become the children of Abraham according to God’s will. So, our hope too is never empty. And because of such knowledge, our reverence toward Him continues.

6. We celebrate Jesus in a manner that is pleasing to God. The prerogative for it has been presented by Paul. “Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). In everything we willfully walk in the sincerity and truth of Christ.

Posted in 2013, Archives and tagged , , , .