Knowing God

“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 so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” - Philippians 3:10-11

Many of us have quoted these verses before; in fact many have memorized them. “I want to know Christ…” - amazing words of confession that we can relate to. But what amazes me about these two verses is that they were written by a man, Paul, who knew Christ intimately, at least based on our modern-day standards.  He had known him, followed him, and dedicated his life to him for decades.  That’s not something you do with a casual acquaintance.  Yet, Paul was not content - he wanted to know Christ more.

This underscores some basic truths: 

• What are we made for? To know God.

• What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God.

• What is the “eternal life” that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. “This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” ( John 17:3).

• What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me’ ” ( Jeremiah 9:23-24).

• What, of all the states God ever sees man in, gives God most pleasure? Knowledge of himself. “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)

Once we become aware that the main reason we are here is to know God, the answer to most of life’s questions fall into place. What makes life worth living is having a focus on what is most important; an understanding on what makes everything in this life make sense. To the Christian, we have a greater understanding of that than any other person on earth.  Our purpose is to know God.  And that is something we will pursue for the rest of eternity.  So, if you are not already in pursuit of knowing your Creator, you might as well begin your journey today!