Bible Study: Acts 20, 17 to 27 and John
17, 1 to 11.
Yesterday we looked at joy as
a gift of the Holy Spirit. Today we shall be considering Knowledge of God as
another gifts of the Holy Spirit. We continue our novena to the Holy Spirit
asking for this precious gift of knowing God better.
Both our first reading and
Gospel passage this morning are set in a rather sad tone of departure; Paul is
departing the region of Asia after spending some time planting the Gospel in
that land while Jesus having just concluded a powerful sermon is praying to the
Father on our behalf mentioning that “and now I am no more in the world… and I
am coming to you.”
As the saying goes, whatever
has a beginning must also have an end. The departure of Paul and Jesus reminds
us of the fact that we shall also bid farewell not only to our friends and
colleagues from time to time and but someday to this very world as well.
Departure time always carries a lot of emotions, if you have been to an airport
to watch family members and friends bid goodbye to their loved ones travelling,
you would surely have a feeling of what I am talking about. Very often you see
tears flowing freely and you almost wish the journey would just be cancelled.
Tears are much especially
when there are certain things that were supposed to have been done or said but
were forgotten, skipped or glossed over. In the same way, nothing is as painful
as reaching your departure time only to realize that you forgot certain vital
and important things. That is why preparing for a journey is more important
than the journey itself.
Since this world is not our
own, how do we properly prepare ourselves for the world beyond? By living in a
manner that brings glory to God. THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE; THAT THEY KNOW YOU THE
ONE TRUE GOD AND JESUS CHRIST WHOM YOU HAVE SENT. We don’t get to heaven first
before we start enjoying eternal life, it begins right here on earth by getting
to know God. You do not get to your destination before packing your luggage,
the moment you pack, then you are good to go but by not packing, you cannot
even move a step. To pack here is to Know God.
What does it mean to Know
God? Is it by getting a Ph.D in theology? Far from it! We often hear people say
things like, “you don’t even know me at all.” Knowing a person is more than
merely knowing his or her name or how they look like. Knowing a person is being
able to step into that person’s inner world, understanding what he or she
likes, understanding their deepest interests, their background, their
potentials and virtually everything beyond the surface. You cannot know a
person unless you enter into a relationship with that person. Even couples
never get to know who their spouses really are until after several years of
marriage and living with each other.
We cannot survive on a mere
superficial knowledge of God. We need an encounter with God; a life changing
encounter such as that which Paul had on his way to Damascus. Paul’s life was
totally changed to the point that he considered his life completely useless
save for the fact that he preached the Gospel. BUT I DO NOT ACCOUNT MY LIFE OF
ANY VALUE NOT AS PRECIOUS TO MYSELF IF ONLY I MAY ACCOMPLISH MY COURSE AND THE
MINISTRY WHICH I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD JESUS.
You would know if you really
know God when you reach a point that you can say with St. Paul, “To be alive is
meaningless if my life does not give glory to God.” you would know if you have
encountered God if you stop pursuing after material and perishable things such
as money, prestige, latest cars, houses, power etc. but consider all of such as
secondary, not important.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus,
fill me with your Holy Spirit and that I may know you and understand the very
purpose of my existence.
God bless you. Good morning. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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