“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:4,5).

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, GOD IS MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO HAVE AGAIN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM THAT WAS LOST IN THE FALL. Contrary to what the tempter had promised, Adam and Eve found that asserting their independence from God’s will did not gain them a knowledge equal to God’s. Instead, they found themselves driven from God’s presence and cut off from what knowledge they had previously enjoyed. Soon they and their descendants had lost all but a fading memory of the face-to-face knowledge of God that Eden had provided.

But although the Fall resulted in the plunging of the human race into spiritual and moral darkness, God began almost immediately to re-enlighten the world concerning Himself. Little by little, and in various ways, God began to reveal Himself. This process of progressive revelation stretched over many centuries, until finally it was time for God to take upon Himself the form of flesh and blood and reveal Himself to the world in the person of Jesus Christ (Galatians 4:4; Colossians 1:15).

The writer of Hebrews said, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1,2). As God Incarnate, Jesus Christ is “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). The apostle John wrote, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18). And Jesus Himself said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Through Christ we can come to know God.

Yet even in Christ, it is still not possible for us right now to see and know God as Adam and Eve did. But Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). The hope of Christianity is that, through Christ, what was lost in the Fall can actually be regained. The time comes when those who have truly sought God “shall see His face” (Revelation 22:4).

“Today I am one day nearer home than ever before. One day nearer the dawning when the fog will lift, mysteries clear, and all question marks straighten up into exclamation points! I shall see the King!” (Vance Havner).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com

“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17,18).

CONCEPTS HAVE CONSEQUENCES IN OUR LIVES, AND CONCEPTS OF GOD ARE THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL OF ALL. False information about God will “mislead” us, whereas truthful information about Him is a “lamp” to our feet and a “light” to our path (Psalm 119:105). Christianity is a powerfully transforming force because it involves a deep renewal in our thinking (Romans 12:1,2), especially our thinking about God Himself (John 17:3). Yet long after the time when many of us should have experienced quantum improvements in the quality of our lives, we still struggle to maintain a minimum level of purity and holiness. We stumble as if we were walking in the dark. Could it be that our outward actions are being produced by inner thinking that is unworthy of God? Are we still being hindered by careless thinking about our Creator?

In Romans 6:17,18, Paul expressed gratitude that his readers had been “set free from sin.” This, he said, had followed from their having “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” Most people think of “doctrine” as nothing more than religious theory, and they spend little time with it because they feel it is not very practical. Doctrine, or “instruction,” is eminently practical, however. Without right thinking, there simply can be no right practice, at least none that will stand the test of time. The entire work of the devil is based on FALSEHOOD (John 8:44; Revelation 12:9), so it should come as no surprise that TRUTH is the means by which God undoes that work (John 18:37; Acts 26:18). To know God as He truly is, and to base our “practical” decisions on that truth, is to be “set free from sin.” There is no other way to make progress. Jesus said it with utter simplicity: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

To be careful, we should set ourselves the goal of improving our thinking about God a little bit each day. There is no question that our lives will be governed by SOME sort of thinking about God. The only question is what the QUALITY of that thinking will be.

“A thoughtless or uninformed theology grips and guides our life with just as great force as does a thoughtful and informed one” (Dallas Willard).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).

IF WE DON’T DO AWAY WITH THE THINGS THAT KEEP OUR LOVE FROM ABOUNDING, WE CUT OURSELVES OFF FROM GOD’S GOODNESS. We need to work on purifying our hearts, so that they become ever-expanding receptacles for the gifts of God.

Consider the concept of “laziness” in regard to spiritual growth. Numerous texts in the Proverbs speak of the general undesirability of being a sluggard (Proverbs 6:6-11). But sluggishness is more than a minor character flaw. It can kill us spiritually. The writer of Hebrews said, “We desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:11,12).

The church in Ephesus was praised for having been stalwart in their defense of the faith and tireless in their work for the Lord (Revelation 2:1-3). “Nevertheless,” Christ said, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place; unless you repent” (Revelation 2:4,5). Having previously loved and served the Lord so fervently, a certain coldness had begun to restrict their relationship with Him. Unless they took decisive steps to correct this problem, it would destroy their fellowship with Christ. He would disavow them and disown them.

God has made it possible, through Jesus Christ, for us to have a truly rich relationship with Him. But the richness of this relationship can’t be enjoyed if our hearts are held back by indifference or inactivity. Loving God is a vigorous transaction indeed, and love’s rewards come to those who are reaching forward. May we leave behind anything that dilutes our love for God — and anything that limits our capacity to receive God’s love for us.

“Wake up, believers, from your lowly condition! Throw away your laziness, sluggishness, coldness, or whatever is interfering with your pure love for Christ” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:21-24).

IT TAKES REVERENCE, AS WELL AS TRUST, TO YIELD TO THE GREATER GOOD OF GOD’S WILL. Not only does His wisdom KNOW what is best, but His love DESIRES what is best. We can take it as a given that God will always do what is best in any set of circumstances. Unfortunately, the “circumstances” often involve decisions and requests on our part such that doing what is best requires God to chasten our demanding spirit, rather than give us blessings that He would otherwise be delighted to give.

There are two extremes in prayer. At one extreme, there is the person who sees God as an ill-tempered tyrant who begrudges every request. This person needs to be encouraged to think of God as a Father who is benevolently inclined toward His creatures (Matthew 7:11). But at the other extreme is the person who sees God as an indulgent deity who exists simply to grant our every wish. This person needs to be reminded to show reverence to God.

Traditionally, the prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” and it is certainly a prayer that reflects the Lord’s deepest desire with respect to His Father: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” There is, however, no prayer more characteristic of the Lord’s own heart than His anguished cry in Gethsemane: “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39,42). As God’s Son, He “learned obedience” (Hebrews 5:8).

Unlike the Lord, we not only fail to yield submissively to God’s will, but we often are so presumptuous as to ask for things that are in conflict with that will. We do not know how to pray as we ought. We need help even in knowing what to ask for. Here, then, is an opportunity for us to learn humility. We can defer to the Lord and pray for help in our praying. We can pray for Him to do whatever, in His wisdom, He sees best.

Not what we wish, but what we need,
Oh! let your grace supply,
The good unasked, in mercy grant;
The ill, though asked, deny.
(James Merrik)

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com