In my early days of faith, after I surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, I spent every evening reading the Word of God. I couldn’t get enough. I just wanted to know more. These were the days between high school and college (I began college at 21). I would come home from work and stay in my room all night long just pouring over the Bible. I found an old Living Bible in the house and that’s what I read. I would record the book of the Bible I just finished at the back of the book. As I sought to know Him, the beginning of a beautiful friendship developed.
But… these were the days before ministry. These were the days before I was writing new studies, putting together messages, writing daily devotionals, and leading this ministry forward. These were the days before responsibilities were put on my shoulders. I know that I’ve been put here for a time such as this and I know I’ve been called to assist God’s people to know His Word. I know that in this time of GREAT deception, I want to lead people to truth. And I love everything God has put before me. But as I read Paul’s ultimate goal this morning – to know Christ – I was convicted in my spirit.
At one time, that was my ultimate goal as well. But I had to ask myself… Has that goal to know Christ dropped down from the top of my priority list? I literally spend my days studying, writing, taping, and editing. But do I seek to KNOW Jesus more than all of that? I then thought of the apostle Paul. He was the greatest evangelist to walk this earth – greater than Billy Graham, D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, and A. W. Tozer. He had tremendous pressure on his shoulders… pressure to spread the gospel to an unknown world, pressure to see churches be Kingdom-minded, and pressure to train God’s people in truth. However, there is no doubt that at the top of Paul’s priority list was to know Christ.
In his devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers makes a bold statement. He said, “Have no other motive than to know your Father in heaven.” This hit me this morning. I know that everything I do is important and I love to invest in God’s people. But there is one thing that’s more important… to know Christ. A friend recently said to me, “I could read the Bible all day long.” And her life shows that she does just that. She’s kind, humble, and speaks with great wisdom. I learn so much from her.
Paul said, “I once thought these things were valuable [everything that defined him before Christ], but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:7-8). With that said, I began to think… Maybe instead of a vacation, or a few days to myself, or a get together with friends, I need to go into my prayer closet, close the door, and just pray (Matthew 6:6). Maybe I need to open up the Word of God not for the purpose of teaching or to understand more, but for the purpose of knowing Christ a little more.
I will do this today. Maybe you needed this reminder as well. As you examine what you think you need today, maybe it’s to just walk through Scripture with the Lord and enjoy being with Him. Maybe we need to open up Scripture for no other reason than to learn more about the One who loves us unconditionally, the One who gave His life for ours, and the One who has called us as His own. Let this encourage you today.