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A Passion For God
By Rev Alvin Tan
John 17:1-3
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
A car is built to be driven, an airplane is meant to fly, and clothes are to be worn. You would have very little use for a car that cannot be driven, a plane that would not fly and clothes that can no longer be worn.
It is a great frustration when things do not function to its potential and capabilities.
God probably feels that way with us sometimes. You were designed to know Him. We were not created just to get married, have children, have successful careers, then grow old and enjoy fulfillment. All these are the blessings and benefits of life but not its purpose. The result of us being side-tracked from our purpose of life is dissatisfaction.
Deep inside us there is a longing for something more meaningful than all we have gain in this world.
What are we created for? We were created to know and worship God with an all-consuming passion. The passage in John 17:1-3 reminds us that our new life is to know Him!
There are four practical benefits in knowing God.
Obedience
We know Him, therefore we obey Him. Obedience comes out of a love relationship we have with the Lord. We love Him, that is why we obey Him. We obey Him because we love Him. Obedient Christians are blessed. God is looking throughout this whole earth for His children whose hearts are loyal to Him. In others, be obedient to Him and His words.
Peace
The more you know God the more at peace we should be. There will be trying times in our lives. The peace of God is like a strong castle and we are right in the centre of it. And whatever that is happening around us does not shake us within the walls of this castle of peace. We know that the God of peace is with us.
In 2 Peter 1:2 it reads, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God.”
Wisdom
The better we know God, the better the decisions we make. In proverbs 3:6 it reminds us that whoever we acknowledge will direct our path. As we know God and acknowledge Him as Ruler of our lives, the path before us is clearer.
Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17 that God would give us “ a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
The Bible reminds us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Freedom
It is not what we are or have that defines us. Rather it is Who we are in Christ that defines us. When you lack the assurance and confidence that comes from knowing Him and from knowing who you are in Him, you can become a slave to what people think, circumstances, to your emotions, to other people's rules and expectations - to almost anything.
In Galatians 4:8, Paul reminds the Galatians, “When you did not know God you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.”
If you really want to know God, there is no power on earth that can stop you. God welcomes us to seek Him. And when you do that with a sincere, humble heart, He will reveal Himself to you. The word of God tells us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Today you are wondering whether you can connect with our Heavenly Father. The answer is “YES!”. It begins by believing in our hearts the Person and Work of Christ and confessing and trusting Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior!