“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8
Paul’s number one priority was knowing Christ, not knowing about him in an intellectual way, but knowing him in a personal or intimate way. While it’s good to read Christian books and study theology, this shouldn’t be a substitute for deepening our relationship with the Lord. Head knowledge is good but heart knowledge is better.
Moses had the same priority. He prays, “teach me your ways so I may know you” (Exodus 33:13). If we are to learn God’s ways it automatically implies that we will have to give up our own ways. Our ways of responding, our ways of doing things, and our ways of understanding a situation.
When I first started reading the gospels as a young Christian, Jesus surprised me. He never responded to people the way I expected. He was often angry and harsh with the Pharisees, the religious people of the day, yet he was kind and compassionate to people like the woman at the well, who had had five husbands.
I thought getting to know Jesus was risky. You never knew what he was going to do next and to some extent I was right, Jesus is unpredictable. However, I’ve learnt that because he loves me, he acts in my best interests and only wants what’s best for me. This might mean I find myself in difficult circumstances, yet God only allows these times to help me grow and learn to rely on his enabling.
So let’s take the risk and pray, teach me your ways Lord, so I may know you.
