Here’s another few words to think on a bit …
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KNOW …
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.†(Psalm 139:1-2, NASB)
As I looked at the definitions for ‘know’, this is the one that stood out … “to apprehend clearly and with certainty†(dictionary.com).
God sees everything about us, clearly and factually. Nothing remains hidden from Him and yet, He loves us still.
He knows our good side, our hurts, and our flaws. He desires to be with us, and for us to be with Him. He wants us to come and lay ourselves bare before Him.
One would think it would be easy to do since He already knows all about us.
No one knows us like the Lord. What do you think He most enjoys about you?
If I am honest, I hope He enjoys that I have my first cup of coffee in the morning with Him.
We are known by the God of the universe who longs to be known by each of us. Think on that today.
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Wisdom …
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17, NASB)
Wisdom is defined as “knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action” (dictionary.com).
The definition was eye opening … it is knowledge of what is true or right (which could be called discernment), along with just judgment as to action.
For us to have wisdom, discernment, just judgment and action, we desperately need wisdom from God.
The wisdom which God provides to our lives will also be … “peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
In these days we are living, where there is so much division and discourse, we need God’s wisdom.
As we ask God for wisdom, and depend on Him, He will provide solutions and instructions on how to handle our situations as they arise.
In what are of your life do you most need God’s wisdom at this time?
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Empty …
“but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men,” (Philippians 2:7, NASB)
The verse is speaking of Jesus, who laid aside His deity and became human. May I suggest taking a peek at The Message which sheds this insight:
- Jesus did not cling to His status
- He set aside privileges
- He lived a selfless and obedient life
- He became human and stayed human until the end
All for each one of us. What would happen if we lived and thought of ourselves as Jesus did?
Perhaps our lives have given us position, influence, funding, connections, etc. that have led us to success.
But do these necessarily display Jesus in our lives? Do others see us as humble and/or approachable?
What do you need to empty yourself of so you can serve God better and be a display of God’s love?
Being empty may not be such a bad thing. Maybe once emptied, we can be filled with what is needed for others to see Jesus.
~*~*~
The God of the universe knows us and longs to be known.
He alone provides the wisdom we need each day,
as we empty ourselves and let Him fill us anew.
Photo 1: by Emre on Unsplash
Photo 2: by Adriano Pinto on Unsplash
I love the words you chose and how they flow so well into one another. By knowing Him, we glean His wisdom, and can empty ourselves to serve Him better. I’m a Jeremy Camp fan, but I haven’t heard that song. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be listening to it more than once.
It’s gonna take me some time to contemplate all the thoughts I have from these three words my friend. Some powerful observations. Thank you for triggering deeper thoughts today.
These are wise thoughts for such a time as this, Joanne. I love your question—“What do you think [God] enjoys the most about you?â€â€”and also your answer. 🙂