What Did You Say?

Part of my daily devotions is reading “Right From the Heart – 1 Minute Devotions”, by Bryant Wright. Yesterdays devotional was from Philippians 3:10 “I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.” (The Message). Here is the devotional (highlighting mine). We’ll discuss afterward;

“The person we spend the most time with is our self, so we tend to be pretty interested in ourselves. I ask you: Do you really like yourself? Would you rather be somebody else? Are you realistic about your strengths and weaknesses?

Socrates gets credit for saying, “Know thyself,” even though what he really said, was, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Either way, the message is clear. Knowing ourselves is a key to a meaningful life.

Let me go a step further. Since God is your Creator and He knows you better than anyone, why don’t you get to know God personally and then you’ll get to know yourself–the real you–better than you ever could on your own. God gives us the way to know Him through Jesus and His Word. If you get to know Him, you’ll come to know yourself and why you’re here. You’ll be on the road to a very meaningful life.”

We walk around with someone everyday and we really don’t take the time to really know him or her. We think we know who that person is that looks back at us from the mirror, but is it a realistic perspective? I suggest that’s the real reason we don’t get to know The Triune God Who is walking beside us everyday. Ignorance of a person, subject or matter last only for a short time. That excuse goes away real fast.

What are we afraid of is getting to know ourselves, or at least own up to the real person? I’m 64 years old. The last 15 to 20 years has been a series of “reality-checks”. Not fun in any way, shape or form. However, as I have deliberately submitted myself to God’s examination with the determination to really except who I am, has peace and joy reentered my life. The “Jerry” I though I knew, really never existed. As I peeled back the layers of the façade was I able to see the real me, the me I didn’t like, the me I did like and what God was looking at. As I yielded THAT man, I found my vision of The Triune God change and our relationship has been greater than ever.

No, such an examination is NOT fun, nor do I want to paint a word picture of the process being easy. Yet, the results are so fantastic, fulfilling and beneficial. There are some of us that need help doing this, I am one of them. So what. Better to admit we need help and get it, than to continue in some phony act that most people can see through. Yes it’s a lot of work. Most great accomplishments require hard work. Do I really have to tell you that nothing happens in this life easily? And yes, He still gives strength to the weary to accomplish the goal. This goal He is eager to help you achieve.

The end result we all want to knowing God as much as He desires us to know Him. To have that unhindered prayer life and a confident faith knowing we have the best relationship possible with Him is worth the effort. Take the Niki philosophy and “Just Do It”.