“That they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:2-3).
My great desire is to go deeper into the heart of God. I want to know the Lord Christ in the secret place inside me. I want to celebrate Him all day every day: I want to revel in God. And then I want to help everyone that wants to know how to do that too to do it too! But—life lesson—I can only take people as far as I’ve gone with God in prayer as I have myself.
For Paul, the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord meant knowing Him interiorly. This inner heart knowledge was not limited to his past relationship with the Lord, but was a growing relationship with God in which there was ‘joy that wouldn’t quit’ in new discoveries in prayer in his present circumstances as well.
The challenges and excitement of this increasing comprehension of Christ in personal devotion is a choice. It just doesn’t happen. And it can’t happen through us until it’s happened to us!
When a person accepts Jesus as His Savior it’s just the beginning of their discovery of the wealth of the Holy Spirit in a life. In knowing Christ the treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge are to be found. To appropriate, enjoy, and practice the presence of God, is the greatest thing we can do, not only for ourselves, but for those we love. It will take practicing healthy spiritual habits for a lifetime.
So what are these healthy spiritual habits?
1. Read the Bible Every Day
‘Nothing new here’ you may say, but maybe this is a new thought: read the Bible passage until you “get it!” Ah now that’s what makes the difference! Get “what’’ you may ask? Whatever it is that the Lord wants to draw your attention to today!’
It may be a promise in the text. Something helpful for a tough situation you find yourself in. It could be a warning - a “do not.” It could be that you need to stop doing something you know very well is wrong but you don’t seem to have the power to stop doing it. Until you obey the imperatives in Scripture in that area of behavior you may as well not bother reading anymore!
When you start to get it and do it, and start “doing not the do not’s,” the Bible will become a whole new book. A road map to a meaningful life. So read until you “get it”. Then, when you get it “do it!”
2. Pray
Pray as you begin to do whatever it is until you’ve “said it”! First to God. Until you’ve been honest enough to express your anger, disappointment, real worries or fears, failure or sin in prayer (even though you know He already knows it all, and even though you know He reads our innermost thoughts). It’s a temptation to reckon it’s all settled as you’ve thought it through and you’ll just be happy with the knowledge He knows you better than you know yourself ! But prayer isn’t really being happy that He knows it all, but rather knowing that you talk to Him about it; that you read His Word for answers and talk about that, too! Then let what you read shape your prayers. Learn to be transparent in your prayers with God.
3. Share
Find a place to “share it.” Share what you are discovering as you read and pray in reality. Write it, tell it, email it, blog it, tweet it, phone it, whisper it, shout it from the housetops! The more you pass it on the more you will become a blessing indeed. We owe it to our world. Pass it on, and encourage the ones you pass it to, to do the same!
