Striving to Know Him More : Andrew Chung
Philippians 3:8-14 (ESV)
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
There are many moments when my relationship with God grew but reading Philippians 3 stands out as one of the strongest. After reading this passage, God placed a burning zeal in my heart to seek after Him. I did not care about the cost or difficulty of my desire. I wanted to know God even more than before, limited not only to knowledge about Him but in a personal relationship with Him. From then on, and even to this day, growing in my relationship with God became an utmost priority and daily prayer.
Of course, I cannot say that my heart was always so. After a period of time, my heart became lazy, apathetic, and lackluster. However, God reminds me to set this desire in motion again for which I am grateful. He reminds me that knowing Him more is His greatest desire and that I need to be zealous for him again. And He often does this through my circumstances. Especially when life gets tough and my soul feels ill, it is as if I have no other choice but to turn to God and to seek Him. Through difficult times and seasons, God is leading me to know Him more. I am in need of prayer and His Word. Knowing God more seems to be the best remedy for my soul.
There were unique moments (at least in my opinion) when my relationship with God deepened in a powerful, radical way. But generally, the growth of my relationship with God has been steady and gradual, which I think God designed this way for a reason. It is my hope and prayer that God continues to fuel me with a burning desire to seek Him and to know Him more and more. I am confident that when I am seeking to know God even more, I am doing well spiritually and that He is pleased. And I know that when my relationship with God is growing, everything in life will follow according to his ways and purpose. Even though life can get difficult and my worries kick in, it is time to push forward again! God has given me the strength to know Him more before and I know that He will supply me again.