Growing in the Knowledge of God—Receiving Well
CLEARLY PERCEIVING YET TOTALLY DEPRAVED
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
—Romans 1:20-21
In other words, from the beginning, human beings have been made aware of and seen God’s invisible attributes and, therefore, have no excuse for not knowing who God is.
However, our depravity makes it impossible for us to submit to God and His will:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
—Jeremiah 17:9 ESV
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
—Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV
ALIVE IN CHRIST
The veil of depravity and separation from God is taken away only in Christ. “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away”—2 Corinthians 3:16 NIV. This is the point of connectedness to Christ—turning from self to God. It involves regeneration and repentance. This is where Receiving Well begins; the beginning point of Growing in the Knowledge of God.
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the circumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”
—Colossians 2:13-14 ESV
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY RECEIVE
After having this right standing with God through Jesus Christ, it is important to grow in intimacy with Him through the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in the believer’s heart. John 15 talks about abiding in the vine—God being the vine and we, the branches. Growth in the branches and fruitfulness signifies that the branch is receiving nutrients and support well. The branch is abiding in the vine. This is the principle of receiving well—we must be in constant close communion with God through prayer, regular intake of His word and walking in obedience to Him. The Holy Spirit in the believer enables the right posture of heart and willing response in action (Philippians 2:12c,13). Through grace-driven effort, practicing these disciplines translate to growth and fruitfulness in the knowledge of God.
PRAYER POINTS ON RECEIVING FROM GOD
- Ask God to help you always to receive from Him with an attitude of undeserved favor; with hearts overflowing with gratitude.
- Ask God for daily inspiration through the priceless treasure of His word and for the right attitude towards it.
- Ask God to help you use frequently the great privilege of communion with Him through prayer to receive assurances, answers to requests, grow in faith, have an enhanced view of God and to become more and more like Christ. This results in a growing attitude of worship.
CONCLUSION
As we keep receiving, His life continues to flow through us to others with increasing impact. This enables those we impact to be well-positioned to receive and also impact others. This results in the fulfillment of the Great Commission and fulfills the prayer:
“Thy Kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”