Without limits
The life of a believer holds wonderful treasures, the greatest opportunity to know God. Unfortunately, many do not know God or just satisfied with the basics of knowledge of God. Our hearts are the biggest obstacle to knowing God. Our hearts need continuous shaping. God said:
Jeremiah 17:9
„The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
When we begin to follow God (we become Christians), our hearts do not change immediately, we do not immediately reach the knowledge of God. A lot of people, when they become Christians, think they know God. If we do not have the right knowledge of God, we cannot worship Him correctly. This is how distorted images of God are formed that are incompatible with Scripture.
So they still worship idols today. Idols who are called Jesus, but behind them are not the real Jesus. That is why it is important to shape our hearts by the word of God. Many do the opposite, shaping the Word of God with their hearts.
Christians easily make the mistake of shaping their image of God according to what is most important to them. People want to be healthy and rich, so they tend to know God as one who promises health and great wealth.
But this is the typical vision by the heart, not the guidance of God’s word. Jesus said:
John 14:6
„Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus is the word of God, so we can go to the Father through the word of God. Through the word of God, we can know the Father, which is the key to our salvation.
John 17:3
„And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
If we are able to get to the point where we put aside our pride, our stubbornness, and humble ourselves, we are able to learn from God. Many just want to justify themselves in the Bible, not to change according to God’s will.
Once we set out on this path that leads to the Father, it is up to us how close we get to Him. The great people in the word of God became great because they walked by faith. This is not the belief that God exists. This faith is when we follow God in obedience, so we follow His commandments.
2Corinthians 3:18
„And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
If we do what God asks of us, we will be identical with Him in our actions, so we will act like Him, we will think like Him. His commandments are those by which we can know what is pleasing to him and what is not pleasing to him. Enoch was raptured because he lived according to God's will. Noah survived because he walked perfectly in the way of the Lord. Abraham became a friend of God and an ancestor to us because he obeyed the word of God. Elijah, whom God used for great things, was raptured like Enoch. James writes about him:
James 5:17-18
„Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
Elijah is a great example of how close we can be to God. He was just a man, just as we are. There is no limit to the knowledge of God, God is holy, and only those who live as holy can be close to Him.
1Peter 1:14-16
„As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."”
If we want to be useful in God’s hands, we must not only be available but also fit for the task. But how can we be suitable for the tasks?
2Timothy 2:19-21
„But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”
Who would not want to be useful in the hands of God, who is able to do all good things? People who want only God’s blessings but don’t want to do anything for it do not want to be useful in God’s hands. But those who love God with reality do according to God's will, because they want to be kind in His sight. Because love is an act, not an elusive thing that we only have to confess with our mouths.
John 14:15
„If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
It is a good thing to be zealous for the Lord, but it requires the right knowledge, otherwise our efforts will not be kind to God. Think of Paul, who, before his conversion, destroyed the church of God with a good conscience, supported the executioners of Stephen because he believed that what he was doing was right.
Paul did all this because he wanted to be kind to God, but because of the incorrect knowledge of God, he did the opposite. Let us, on the other hand, be the ones who, before they do anything, make sure that it is good according to God. To do that, we must know Him.
Antal Farkas
(November 12, 2021)
