So, here we are; 2017.

Nicky Gumbel summed it up very well in his new year tweet: “Look back and thank God. Look forward and trust God. Look around and serve God. Look up and seek God.”

It says it all.

In practice, keep God at the centre of your life. In 2017 make the knowledge of the Most High your highest priority. Make it your goal to personally excel in the knowledge of Him who is beyond knowledge.

Of course with, more than a little help form the Almighty Himself. Here is how the apostle Paul prayed for that help in the life of the Ephesian Christians,

…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17

We need God’s Spirit of wisdom and revelation in order to know God and grow in His knowledge.  We in turn must correctly position ourselves to receive this revelation knowledge of God which, by the way, is progressive, gradual and cumulative; definitely not available for instant download. This requires regularly positioning ourselves in the right place (having a meaningful time of daily connecting with God and regularly fellowshiping with the family God where He has placed us) to receive this Spirit of wisdom and revelation knowledge just like we would regularly attend and not miss (casually or intentionally) classes if we are serious and desire to achieve in our academic pursuits. No one in their right mind approaches their education and associated responsibilities with indifference and still expect to achieve. It doesn’t work that way. Before very long their result will bear the fruit of their approach. Likewise in our pursuit of the knowledge of God.

The analogy of academic pursuit is very fitting to the pursuit of the knowledge of God. Academic excellence is praiseworthy and commendable but it pales into insignificance in the light of the knowledge of God. And just as many possess a strong drive to excel and succeed academically, so too should we excel in our personal knowledge of God – even more so. As Christ’s followers our drive to know God should match and exceed our drive for academic excellence, not fall behind it. In fact, the drive to excel in the knowledge of the Most High ought to trump every other drive and ambition in our lives. By no means does this mean that we drop every other pursuit in life but put it in the right perspective.

…I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
Philippians 3:8

The value of knowing God for ourselves trumps everything else.

In 2017 let’s determine to, more than anything else, excel in this knowledge.