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(ThyBlackMan.com) Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
Daniel 11:32 NKJV
A believer must caution himself against the feeling of satisfaction. We must not allow ourselves to feel that our pursuit of God should cease due to obtaining knowledge about Him. Perhaps one of the injuries of this generation is too many know about God, but fewer know Him. We’ve added to our libraries great works of seemingly great men that have shown us the image of the Invisible One. We’ve acquired through social media the websites that detail His idiosyncrasies. Debates abound among great Christian thinkers concerning the theological and philosophical accuracy of the Godhead, the nature of Christ, and the themes of Scripture. We know about faith, its definition, it’s rendering in the Greek e.g., pistis, and how it alone saves us and is essential in pleasing God.
Yet, the Psalmist says in Psalm 14:2, “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” The Lord is still searching for men to seek and know Him.
Maybe our systematic books have done us a disservice; perhaps our commentaries have quieted the still, small voice that whispers, “Seek me, and you will find me.” The consequence of exchanging knowledge of God for knowledge about Him is evident in our lives from our lack of trust in Him. It’s hard to trust a God you do not know. Israel, for example, had seen the wondrous works of the Almighty, yet, they were guilty of limiting the Unlimited. They experienced the impossible liberation from Egypt yet remained bound in their ignorance. They drank water from a rock but somehow stayed thirsty in their comprehension. They ate the bread of heaven but were still starving of understanding in their souls.
We’re correct to criticize them; however, are we different when we despair in waiting on God or inwardly doubt His promises? Why are some feeble in their fidelity when we should be robust in faith? Dear Christian God is a minefield of discovery, an ocean of revelation, and a mystery worthy of investigation. I must confess my bookshelf isn’t bare either, but I’ve realized that these tools serve as markers and guideposts in my quest and search for God. They do not replace prayer or the study and meditation of the Scriptures.
God is an expedition we must never retire from. For as the Scripture says, it is in knowing Him that makes us strong and inoculates us from confusion and error. Make no mistake; we study for accuracy; we seek Him for intimacy. Accuracy should inflame intimacy, not replace it.
This cherished acquaintance with God is the essence of eternal life for so saith the Word. In John 17:3, we read, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” How dare we trade the knowledge of the Eternal Holy One for the words of dying or otherwise dead men? Let’s pursue our God without contentment, for as Tozer says, “To have found God and still pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.”
Staff Writer; C. E. Davis
This man of God can also be found online over at; InfiniteTruth Devotion.
One may also drop an email: CEDavis@ThyBlackMan.com.
