September 03, 2011

God's Desire for Me

Ephesians 1:15-23

I keep asking that … God … may give you the Spirit of wisdom … so that you may know him better.
Ephesians 1:17

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Growing in wisdom is about cultivating a character that is Christlike. If we want that wisdom, then the words of Ephesians 1 are a great discovery and encouragement.

What is striking about these verses is how they tell us we don’t have to figure this all out on our own. It’s not a project for which God gives us a textbook and tests us with a final exam at the end of life. God is not a “hands off” teacher.

In Ephesians 1 Paul explains that he prays for people to have wisdom, and he asks God to be involved in the process—because that is what God promises. Paul goes on to mention “the Spirit of wisdom,” and he isn’t asking only for the Spirit to help us; Paul asks that the Spirit of wisdom be given to us.

Why? So that we may know God better.

Suddenly this matter of gaining wisdom is not just about learning some Christian way of living. It is about an interactive God who wants to live in us and be part of our faith growth by becoming part of us.

We can simplify all that to this: God wants us to have wisdom. So we can make this prayer our own, saying, “I want to have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation because I want to know God better.”

Heavenly Father, please give me “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Open the eyes of my heart to know the hope and power by which you want me to live. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

About the author — Henry Kranenburg

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