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How Knowing God Will Change Your Home!
23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
24 But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.
I believed on the Lord and was saved at the age of 17 years and I wish I could say that since that day my hearts cry has only been ....... I WANT TO KNOW YOU LORD! Unfortunately, the cry of my heart over the years has been for many other things ... I've cried ... "Lord, I want a godly marriage" and "Lord, I want godly children" and "Lord, I'm tired of struggling to just get by financially... so, please, Lord just give me more money" .... and "Lord, if you help me to lose weight I know that finally I"LL BE HAPPY!" Most of these prayers were not wrong in themselves but they had become the central focus of my heart. Whether or not I was happy (as the world views happiness) depended on what my circumstances were for that day.
I look back now and realize that what I was hungering for was not the temporal happiness that the world offers but the peace that passes all understanding and only comes from knowing God more intimately. Because I was searching for my happiness through my circumstances, and since my circumstances NEVER fulfilled my desires, I suffered from depression and even contemplated suicide many times in the beginning years of my Christian life. My emotions were like a roller coaster, up and down, depending on what the circumstances were for the day.
Out of the Lord's abundant mercy He did answer many of these prayers ... (still waiting on the THIN body! *Smile*).. but, instead of them bringing lasting peace they only brought temporary happiness because there were still prayers left unanswered. In fact, the difficulty of some of the situations only increased. What I began to see was instead of God changing the situation he began to reveal Himself to me in the midst of the pain and suffering. I began to KNOW Him in a way that I had never known Him before. Through His Word He began to teach me specific things about Himself. I began to learn that He was a good God and more importantly that this promise was towards me! I learned that He was in control and would use everything in this trial for my good and His glory. All of a sudden, what I was learning about God gave me hope. My focus came off of my circumstances and on the Lord. No longer were my emotions like a roller coaster.... no longer did my peace depend on what each day brought forth but my focus began to shift to coming to know God increasingly more and more.
I didn't realize it at the time but I was learning 'theology' when I discovered that God was good and in control. Theology is not a word most of us find appealing but it simply means 'knowing God.' God wants us to know Him. In fact, He wants this to be the central focus of our life.
In Luke 10 we read of the story of Mary and Martha. We've all read how Mary escaped kitchen duty and instead of Jesus reprimanding her and sending her back to the pots and pans He turns to Martha and says...
..... "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
......"But ONE THING is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42
Learning about Jesus, coming to KNOW Him, was the one thing that was needed! As you read about Mary sitting at Jesus feet and Martha demanding her presence in the kitchen, have you ever thought of what Jesus was actually teaching Mary? What is He wanting her learn? I never realized it until a friend recommended a book by Carolyn Curtis James that Jesus is teaching Mary about Himself and the Father. In fact, His encounters throughout the New Testament have this one purpose in mind. He is teaching theology. He is teaching Martha to learn of Him for this is where her peace and everything else she needs in this life will be found. Martha's peace will never come from trying to line up all your circumstances the way she wants them to be. Jesus is instructing Martha to set everything else aside that is screaming for first place in her heart and her mind and set her thoughts and affections FIRST on coming to know Him!
Jesus knew that hard trials were ahead for Mary and Martha and He knew that the time they spent learning of Him and His character would strengthen them for those days. The knowledge of His character would be a foundation that they could safely cling to when the storms hit. How could Martha trust Him if she did not know Him? How would she come to know Him if she didn't learn of Him?
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee.
Ps 9:10
We can only imagine that Martha, after Jesus gentle rebuke, set her apron aside and placed herself at the feet of her Master to listen to each carefully chosen Word. What did Martha learn of Jesus that day as she sat at his feet? What did she learn that would help her in the days to come?
The next time we read about Martha is at the death of her beloved brother, Lazarus. She sends word to Jesus that Lazarus is sick. Martha KNOWS Jesus as the healer, the Great Physician. Her hope is in Him to heal her brother from this sickness. But, Jesus does not go to Lazarus for several days. I wonder what Martha was thinking as she watched her brother grow increasingly weak and more deathly ill. I'm sure most of us would have had questions and possible doubts.
Finally, Mary hears that Jesus is arriving so she runs and meets Him saying...
John 11:21
Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
Listen carefully to what Jesus begins to teach her about Himself ...
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
John 11:23-27
Martha's eyes were fixed on Jesus through the trial of her brother's death and because of her focus she learned more about who He is. Martha had known Jesus as the Great Physician but now she was coming to know Him as the Resurrection and the Life. Learning and knowing more about who Jesus is made all the difference to Martha during this difficult trial. It became a foundation that would hold her when the storms of her life hit with all their force.
The last mention we have of Martha is often overlooked.
Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
There they made him a supper; and Martha served
John 12:1-2
Martha is back in the kitchen! We may wonder .... didn't she learn anything? But, notice the difference this time. It simply states, Martha served. There is no complaining or upset... Martha simply served and her serving did not go unnoticed.
Even though the story we most remember from this passage of scripture has to do with Mary anointing Jesus for His burial, Martha's serving did not go unnoticed by the Holy Spirit. Martha was back in the kitchen serving but this time Jesus is not rebuking her. We don't hear her complaining about her circumstances .... we merely read that ... Martha served. What Martha had learned about Jesus was expressing itself in service to others. Service is the fruit of good theology. Martha's eyes were fixed on Jesus and because of her focus she was not anxious. Even though the circumstances may not have changed, the focus of her heart made all the difference.
I've heard women say throughout the years that they are just not 'made' that way, meaning that learning more about God and studying about Him in the scriptures is something they believe is set apart for those who God created to enjoy reading and studying. But, scripture does not make this distinction or do we see this example set before us anywhere in His Word. Growing in the knowledge of God is not a choice given to a select few but each and every one of us are told that we are to GROW in the knowledge of our Lord.
Even, and especially, the 'Martha's' of this world need to know God increasingly more. Carolyn James Curtis makes the point that the ones we find ministering to the hurting are normally the Martha's. Who do we find ministering to those who have just lost a loved one? Who stays after a funeral to do the clean up and has the opportunity to minister Christ to the ones that are grieving? Who do we see taking food to the home of the sick or visiting someone in the hospital? Isn't it the Martha's of the church? What or WHO they have set their focus on will either bless or hinder their efforts to serve those who are in need. They can offer them bread for their stomachs but if they do not have THE BREAD OF LIFE to share ... they'll leave them empty hungering for more.
2 Pet 3:18
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Col 1:10
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
and Those We Love
The older we get the more we realize that life is hard and full of tribulations. When I sat and watched the horrors of Sept. 11th on television this past year I realized that I did not know God in a way to prepare me to live with the threat of what our nation may be facing. Events have calmed down since that day but we do not know what the future holds. What we believe about God, our theology, is what will cause us to either trust God in times of increasing hardship or shrink back in fear.
What we know and believe about God matters in the every day living within our homes. Our theology has a ripple effect that starts with our own lives and continues to reach out to everyone we come in contact with. We not only need to know God for ourselves but for our husband's sake, too. Who has the potential for more influence over our husbands on this earth but their wives? Who is there with him during those times when he is concerned about financial problems or the possible loss of a job? Who's words will he hear? If a wife's theology is weak she will be ill equipped to come alongside her husband and offer him the strength, encouragement and godly counsel that he so desperately needs in his time of trial.
We have been given the awesome privilege of training our children to know God. We are teaching these precious, eternal souls about who God is each and every day while they are under our care. They are watching our actions and reactions to the trials in our lives. We are showing them by our example that we either know Jesus and He can be trusted, OR that our trust is in something other than Him. A mother cannot teach her child something that she does not know herself. Our children need to see by our choices and actions that we are women who know God and that learning about Him is the most exciting and important thing in our lives
The effects of our theology will either bless and encourage those who are in our lives or hinder them.
The blessings of coming to know God are endless!!
"His divine power has granted us every thing pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3)
Everything we need to help us live godly lives here on this earth is found in our knowledge of Him. Everything!
Here is just a small list of a few blessings that are spoken of in connection with knowing God.
Dan 11:32
.... but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
Daniel prophetically anticipated the reign of Antiochus Ephiphanes, a Syrian king who reigned from 175-164 B. C. The King had changed His name to mean 'manifest god'. The Jews, though, changed just one letter in his name (in their language) and called him Epimanes, which means "mad man" which was true to his character because he had an insane hatred for the Jews. He did exactly as Daniel had prophesied and ordered Jewish sacrifices to stop and polluted the temple of God by offering swine's flesh on the altar. He did not allow them to observe the Sabbath or to circumcise their children and ordered all copies of scripture to be destroyed . Anyone who disobeyed these orders were killed. It was an ancient holocaust much like Hitler's annihilation of the Jews. A group of courageous men who knew their God, called the Maccabees, laid hold of God's sovereign power and might, took action and broke the grip of Antiochus on Israel. These were the people that Daniel spoke of in the scripture above. They were a people who knew their God and displayed great strength in times of great adversity!
Grace and peace are multiplied to us through the knowledge of God.
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." 2 Peter 1:2
Grace is God's favor, His gracious care and His strength used for our help. We enjoy God's help to the extent that we know Him. If we don't know that He is available to help us then we won't know to ask for His help.
Peace is a quiet confidence in the face of difficult circumstances. The more we come to know God the more peace we will have in the day in and day out of our living.
The ability to discern truth is found in the knowledge of God.
....that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Eph. 1:17
Knowing God is the means by which we bear fruit and increase in good works.
"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Col. 1:9-10
I've read that most commentators understand this passage to mean that the knowledge of God is the means by which we bear fruit and increase in every good work. They would translate it to say: "bearing fruit and increasing in every good work by the knowledge of God."
In Psalms 73 we read about Asaph. Asaph was angry with God and from what we read I think it's safe to say that he was not bearing fruit because of it. But, in verse 17 everything changes for Asaph as he began to know more of God.
I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Ps. 73:17
Coming into the sanctuary of God was an Old Testament way of expressing fellowship with Him. Listen to what Asaph learned of God while He was in His presence
Nevertheless I am continually with thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. v23-26
Because of this knowledge of God Asaph was able to say later in v. 28,
"But as for me, the NEARNESS of God is my GOOD."
The more He knew of God the more he grew spiritually and the more he enjoyed his spiritual experience.
Knowing God intimately delivers us from bondage.
Paul wrote to the Galatians,
"But, now that you have come to KNOW God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?" Gal. 4:9
They had come to know God and their knowledge had delivered them from bondage but they were again putting themselves back under the very bondage they had been delivered from.
Trying to please God without growing in our knowledge of Him will put us under bondage every time. Without knowing God we will tend to think that our acceptance before God is tied up in what we do so we are always trying to please Him but never sure we have succeeded.
The blessings of increasingly knowing God are untold!
As women of God the very heart of our existence is not to seek first to have our circumstances bring us joy or to have our needs met ... our first desire in life should be to know God through Jesus Christ His Son. Our eyes are not to be fixed upon what we think can make us happy in this world but the gaze of our soul is to be upon Jesus Christ who is the image of God.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS... Heb. 12:2
The word, LOOKING, means to gaze, with wide open eyes, as at something remarkable.
When we look TO Him that means, also, that we are looking AWAY from something. The amplified versions says:
"Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus."
What distracts us from keeping our eyes on Him? A few things are:
* Cares and troubles of our everyday life and homes. (ex: Martha in the kitchen and her serving others)
* Being anxious and worrying about your daily life.
Luke 12:29-31
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
* Cares, Deceitfulness of Riches and Lust for other things. Mark 4:19 ...(even though this passage is speaking of unbelievers I believe if these things can tempt an unbeliever then they certainly can tempt us to be distracted from knowing God)
Our thoughts need to be fixed on Jesus .........
Heb 3:1
1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
...because Jesus will show us who God is!
Heb 1:3
3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being
If we keep our thoughts focused on ourselves and our problems then discouragement is sure to come and a feeling of being overwhelmed. But, if we make Jesus the gaze of our soul and the focus of our thoughts.. if we come to know His character, ponder His ways, learn that He is in control and that He loves us and has a good purpose for our lives then this foundation will hold us during the difficult times.
Fixing our eyes upon Jesus means making Him our ONE THING NEEDFUL, just as Mary did.
David said in Ps. 27:4....
ONE THING have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for and (insistently) require... that I may dwell in the house of the Lord (in His presence) all the days of my life....
Notice David said.... ONE THING.... Not 2,3, or 4 things... His eyes were fixed on Jesus and He was looking away from everything else.
Paul wrote in Phil 3:8-10....
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
We have begun a new year and most of us have made fresh commitments to read through the Bible and to pray more which are great goals that we shouldn't lose sight of. But, I'd like to encourage you to fix your thoughts on coming to know God increasingly more through the person of Jesus Christ. It may intimidate you to pick up a thick volume on Systematic Theology (although I'm telling you it's one of the most interesting books you could ever study) but you can start out by simply reading through the Gospels SLOWLY, and listen to what Jesus is teaching about Himself and who the Father is.
The purpose of the Bible is to help us know God. God reveals Himself through biographies, poetry, prophecy, history and the Apostle's teachings. The best way to learn more about God through His Word is to look first for Him.
You could even set up a notebook system to file the passages of Scripture you collect and the quotes from books that you find. You could have one notebook just on God. You could make separate dividers for each topic below:
A. Attributes Describing His Being
1. Spirituality
2. Invisibility
B. Mental Attributes
3. Knowledge
4. Wisdom
5. Truthfulness
C. Moral Attributes
6. Goodness
7. Love
8. Mercy (Grace, Patience)
9. Holiness
10. Peace
11. Righteousness
12. Jealousy
13. Wrath
D. Attributes of Purpose
14. Will
15. Freedom
16. Omnipotence (or Power, and Sovereignty)
E. "Summary Attributes
17. Perfection
18. Blessedness
19. Beauty
20. Glory
If this seems too overwhelming for you to start then just set it as a future goal but begin with some sort of plan. You could make it as simple as using a marker in your Bible to underline all that you find out about God's character in your daily bible reading.
The things of this world are passing away... but oh my..... the excellency and the joy of coming to know our God far surpasses anything this world has to offer.
The Lord says to Seek His Face... my prayer for us this year is that we will respond... They Face, Lord, do I seek! Psalm 27:8
Reading to Your Children:
Noone is a perfect theologian so read the following books with discernment and caution.
Learn theology with your child.
* Leading Little Ones to God: A Child's Book of Bible Teaching by Marian M. Schoolland
Books to Help us Know God Better
* Trusting God: Even when Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges
* Knowing God by J.I. Packer
* Just Give Me Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz
* The Attributes of God by Arthur W. Pink
* The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer
* The Peace and Power of Knowing God's Name by Kay Arthur
Knowing God in our Relationships
* Age of Opportunity: A biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Tripp
* War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles
* Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp.
Much of what was written in the article above was gleaned from the following books:
* Knowing God by J.I.Packer
* The Joy of Knowing God by Richard L. Strauss, Ph.D.
Biblical Studies Press 1997
* When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference by Carolyn Curtis James (note: This is an excellent book if you are wanting to be encouraged to know God but please read with discernment.
Copyrighted 2002 by Mrs. Georgene Girouard
This article may be reprinted in it's entirety. http://awomanthatfearsthelord.com
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