Fully Supplied through Knowing God

April 18, 2010

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." (2 Peter 1:2-3)

Our lives are blessed whenever the Lord adds any of His blessings to our experience. Yet, there are times when we sense a need for God's blessings to be multiplied to us. Well, God desires to multiply His working toward us. "Grace and peace be multiplied to you."[/b]Drop after drop of refreshing water may encourage the thirsty soul. However, our hearts' true need may be for fountains of living water. God loves to pour forth His provisions of grace in abundance.[b]"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). God's grace (His undeserved resource for living) is available in multiplied measures. God's peace (His heaven-sent spiritual tranquility) can be partaken of in magnified portions.

The process for partaking of these multiplied provisions simply involves growing in knowing our Lord. "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

Another astounding truth about believers in Jesus Christ is that we have already been given everything needed for abundant Christian living. "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." This is not to say that we are aware of what is ours, or that we are experiencing all that is ours. Nonetheless, God has already given us every spiritual provision needed to live as He desires ("all things that pertain to life" and to grow in Christlikeness as He wills ("all things that pertain to…godliness".

The process for accessing these comprehensive resources also involves getting to know the Lord better. "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him."

It is by grace that we initially come to know the Lord. As we get to know Him better, grace is then multiplied into our lives. When we first met the Lord, He made available to us everything we needed to live as He intended. As we grow in knowing Him, we access experientially more and more of what He has already made available to us in Christ.

Prayer
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Dear Lord of abundant blessings, I praise You for Your bountiful grace. I frequently underestimate Your goodness to me. What a staggering thought that You have already given me in Christ all that I need for a godly life. O Lord, I long to grow in knowing You, that all of these heavenly realities might be manifested in my life, for Your glory and honor, Amen.

Experiencing the Lord's Goodness


Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34 vs 8

The Scriptures clearly declare that the knowledge of the Lord is for developing a relationship, not merely cataloging correct information about Him. Grace and peace are to be "multiplied to" us (2 Peter 1:2), not just memorized by us. "All things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3) are to be drawn upon for godly living, not merely listed to validate our orthodoxy. As we get to know the Lord, His goodness is to be experienced in our lives.

Our present verse is quite forthright concerning this point. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good." The Lord is good. He is merciful, kind, gracious, and patient. The Scriptures abound with declarations of God's goodness. "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 107:1). [/b]This goodness of God is to be experienced by God's people. [b]"My people shall be satisfied with My goodness" (Jeremiah 31:14). We are to "taste and see" God's goodness, not only to hear of it and talk about it.

How does a person experience the goodness of the Lord? "Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" God's goodness is available for our personal experience whenever we trust in Him. "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!" (Psalm 31:19). [/b]When we rely upon the Lord, His goodness brings forth peace in our lives. [b]"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3). When we depend upon the Lord, His goodness brings forth rejoicing in our lives. "Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name" (Psalm 33:20-21).

It should not be surprising to us that faith in the Lord is the pathway to experiencing His goodness. We have noted in a number of these meditations that faith is one of the relational realities that allows a child of God to live by His grace. Faith accesses grace (Romans 5:2). "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:25).

We trust in the Lord the more we get acquainted with Him. We trust in the Lord the more we seek Him to demonstrate His faithfulness. "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You" (Psalm 9:10).

Prayer
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Lord, You are so good! Too often I fail to experience Your goodness, because I do not trust in You. Forgive me, Lord. I long to taste of Your goodness. Teach me to live in dependence upon You, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Lord, You are so good! Too often I fail to experience Your goodness, because I do not trust in You. Forgive me, Lord. I long to taste of Your goodness. Teach me to live in dependence upon You, in Jesus' name, Amen.

[quote][/quote]Amin ooh Jesu!