God’s Word - Christ’s Commission Fellowship
What is your highest priority in life? Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple.”For most of us, the problem is not that we pursue the wrong thing, but that we fail to pursue the one thing—the most important thing – intimacy with God.
God wants us to know and experience Him, to connect with Him in personal way. But intimacy with God is not natural for us. We need to depend on His grace to be truly intimate with Him and to respond to Him by “training ourselves in godliness” (1Tim 4:7).
Intimacy with God cannot be realized apart from God’s word. The Bible is one of the most audible ways by which God reveals to us His character and promises, will and ways, and His power.
Like in the psalmist’s experience of God’s guidance in his life through His word (Ps 119:105), intimacy with God is a gradual process—it requires a step by step obedience. In essence, God’s truth is learned not just by listening but by obeying His word.
God promises us in Joshua 1:8 that if we meditate on His word and obey what is written in it, He will grant us success. God longs to bless us. When God tells us to do something, it is always for our good. If we obey and apply God’s word in our lives, we submit ourselves under His protection. It always helps to be reminded that God is infinitely wise and sovereign. There are no accidents with Him, only incidents. Everything that happens to us will work together for our good (Rom 8:28). When we choose to take God at His word and obey Him even when He is calling us to an obedience that is beyond our own reasoning, we are then being sanctified by His truth. This is because God’s word is powerful. It penetrates the hearts of men and transforms people (Heb 4:12).
Through the example of Moses and the Israelites, the Bible gives us a contrast between people who know God intimately and those who do not. When the Israelites were moving out of Egypt, God led them by the way of the desert—a fairly long way. Because of this, the Egyptians caught up with them. The Israelites found themselves caught in between Pharaoh’s army and the sea. They responded to this problem by panicking, complaining and grumbling against Moses and against God (Exo.14:11). By contrast, Moses encouraged them by saying: “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today…” (v.13)
Once you know the truth through God’s word, you will have an accurate view of God that you can appropriate whatever your circumstances are. You won’t judge God through your circumstances. Instead, you would judge your circumstances in light of who God is. Do you know God personally? Is your view of Him consistent with what the Bible tells about Him? Intimacy with God is a lifetime journey. It is a constant holistic process.
Do you value God’s word? We have the luxury of having the Bible readily available to us yet we have taken this freedom for granted. Reading the Bible must not be a duty but a delight. If you struggle with reading the Bible, ask God to change your heart. Be honest with Him. At the same time, respond to Him through obedience. Be intentional—pursue intimacy with God through His word!
Pursue Intimacy With God Series
Speaker: Peter Tan-chi
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