A friend confided in me recently that he didn’t want to learn any more about God. It had been his experience that the more he learned, the more questions he had. Of course, there is truth in his explanation. We will never fully know God because he is God and we are not. However, the more we know him, the greater he is manifested in our lives. And one way to know him more is through his sacred Word.
In our quest to include God in all aspects of our lives, we might ponder this notion that, the more we know and understand him, the easier it is to live in him at home or at work, with our families or with our co-workers.
Sometimes we wonder how to include our Christian walk in our activities at work.
Psalm 25:14 explains, “The counsel of the Lord belongs to those who fear him; and his covenant instructs them.” Another name for covenant is testament. Many refer to the two sections of our Bible as the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. In other words, we receive counsel or wisdom from God when we fear him and obey what he has taught us through sacred scripture. Psalm 111:10 similarly teaches: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
So just what is the fear of the Lord?
It involves a reverential respect for the Almighty God. This fear acknowledges how much God loves us, and the power that accompanies that love. Consequently, this fear is our reaction to God because we do not want to displease him. We want to honor and serve him.
Now, back to Psalm 25:14.
“The counsel of the Lord belongs to those who fear him; and his covenant instructs them.”
To increase our understanding of God we begin with our reverential respect of his glory, power, honor, justice, and mercy. Then, because his covenant, or his testament, or his word instructs us, we go to it and not only learn it, but actively obey it. That’s where real revelation comes.
When we take our head knowledge of his word, move it to heart knowledge and then begin to live it, God manifests himself to us in every aspect of his creation. He begins to teach us through our thoughts, the words and actions of others, and literally every part of man and nature. But he only does this once we begin to obey and act on his word with a reverential humility that we can accurately call “fear of the Lord.”
If you want to know God more, consider these suggestions:
- Begin your day by deepening your intimate relationship with him in his word.
- Ask him for specific guidance for the day — even guidance for your work activities and relationships.
- Then, whatever his word tells you that day, deliberately live it. No excuses and no exceptions.
- As you obey his every word, desire to see him in every aspect of your life throughout each day.
- As you recognize him, consider what he is doing at that moment and remember he is always working behind the scenes as well.
- Acknowledge how very interested he is in every moment of your day.
- Finally, give him thanks and praise for walking with you at all times.
Before long, you will discover that you are learning more and more about God and each person of the Trinity, and how your relationship with the Almighty has deepened and grown.
Will you ever completely understand him? Certainly not this side of heaven.
But by inviting him into an active role in your entire life through studying and obeying his word, your relationship with him and your understanding of him will reach new heights you would have never imagined or dreamed.
About Mike Van Vranken
Mike Van Vranken, a lifelong Catholic, is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, and teacher. Following forty years of leading, coaching, and developing business owners, Mike founded Mike Van Vranken Ministries to fulfill his passion to bring Jesus to the world around him. He brings his experiences as a mentor, leader, speaker, coach, and entrepreneur to provide teaching and spiritual leadership to all who are interested. His dream is to deliver the teachings of Jesus to women and men, old and young, poor and rich, people of every background and diversity — to the entire body of Christ.
Mike is co-author of the brand new book: Faith Positive in a Negative World. In paperback and on Kindle now at amazon.com. He and Barbara, his wife of 42 years, live in Shreveport, LA. Discover more about Mike at www.mikevanvrankenministries.org as well as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google.
This is precisely the subject of this morning’s “Men of Integrity” devotional reading. They make the additional point that sometimes we study God to try and put him a box that we can understand – which of course, ain’t happenin’ ;-).
True that, Alan… (Thank you for reading and commenting!)