“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9,10).
IF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IS IMPORTANT IN OUR LIVES, IT IS MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL IN OUR THINKING ABOUT GOD. Nothing is more vital than making our concept of God correspond as nearly as possible to God as He truly is. Thus the single best thing we can do to improve ourselves each day is to improve, even just a little bit, the accuracy of our knowledge of God.
We can’t know God completely, of course. God is infinite, and even if sin were not a factor, the finite knowledge of creatures could never encompass the Creator fully. Nevertheless, God has chosen to reveal something of Himself to us. And we are able, with the minds that He has given us, to apprehend things about Him that are objectively true. There are many things we can’t know, but those that we can know, we can know truly (Deuteronomy 29:29). Our knowledge of God can be dependably factual.
But, of course, it is also possible to have in our minds things about God that aren’t true! The same minds that can apprehend truth can also embrace untruth, and the danger of believing a lie about God is a most serious danger indeed. If we ever need to be careful, it is surely with this, the most important subject our minds are capable of considering. Wherever God is concerned, we need to think carefully so that we will think ever more clearly.
Our need for improvement never ceases. As long as life lasts, growth in our knowledge of the Creator needs to be a priority. We can’t afford to be complacent. Paul warned that “if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2). There is not one of us whose understanding of God doesn’t need to be refined and purified. And maybe the reason we don’t make any more progress than we do is that we are content with so little. We pick up a scrap or two of knowledge and we cease our search, when in reality we can know a God whose riches of truth are vast and deep and strong.
“God’s treasure is like an infinite ocean, and yet a little wave of emotion, passing with the moment, is enough for many” (Brother Lawrence).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
