Literature Ministries International


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January 26, 2019

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Then Shall We Know

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:3

The great objective of our heart should be TO KNOW CHRIST. The objective of our pursuit is not simply to have a speculative knowledge of Him. Many possess that knowledge and still have a heart as unsanctified as ever. But we need an experiential knowledge of Christ that comes from unremitting diligence in applying His Word in our practical, everyday lives, elevating us to a higher plane and deeper intimacy with the Lord.

We come to know Christ by daring to trust Him in every area of our lives. To commit our walk to Him brings our lives into close union and abiding fellowship with Him. This abiding relationship results in a transforming knowledge of Christ. The truth and principles of His Word become the means by which our lives are radically changed, and the Holy Spirit forms and shapes our lives to be conformed into His likeness. It is then that HIS LIFE LIVES through us and manifests His righteousness and true holiness.

As Paul testified, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, it is not I that live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God." This is not the work of a day, a month, or a year. It is a lifelong commitment to become like Him.

If we think we have arrived, that we have attained that ultimate level, and are already made perfect, we may rest assured that we have made little progress in our spiritual life! Paul, after preaching 20 years, still desired to know Christ more perfectly. He said, "I want to KNOW CHRIST and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death and somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

It's wonderful to have knowledge of God's Word, but to experience His Word in our lives gives us an assurance and blessing that is attained in no other way. To know promises of God's Word through memory is comforting, but to see those promises active and made real by experiential faith, makes His Word become alive and a vibrant part of our lives. To see the results of His intercession for us--going before us and preparing the way, to see Him work in and through us in things beyond our capabilities in answer to prayer--is to have a living faith, where Christ is a living reality in every phase of our life!

I know well my own sinfulness and failures, but I also know the virtue of His blood. I know well my own weaknesses and vulnerability, but I also know the sufficiency of His grace. I know well the deceitfulness and treachery of my heart, but I also know the surety of His promises. I know well the faulty ways of my walk, but I also know His "exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature."

It is in this life of BECOMING that we begin to KNOW HIM in the wonder of His majesty and grace. What an exciting adventure awaits everyone who will DARE TO BELIEVE and will launch out into uncharted waters by faith. It is there--in the deep--that we will see His wonders.

© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.


This page was reprinted by permission from: http://www.litmin.org/dare.php?date=2019-01-26


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