Meaning: Jehovah is close to those who show their love for him by doing their best to obey his commandments. If all six principles are pointing in the same direction, prayerfully move forward, trusting God to guide you as you go. So, you need to pray with Paul for yourself and for other believers, that God “may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” (1:17).

Is it because those who truly want to know God must give up their ownthoughts and ideas about how their life should go? Given the first-century expectations that Jews would know him, having been trusted with God’s oracles (Romans 3:2), and that Gentiles would not, we shouldn’t be surprised to find Jesus working with these categories in the Sermon on the Mount. It doesn’t mean that life will be easy and trial-free, but as I learn to know Godbetter I learn to see these situations in the way God sees them. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and Paul says, “He is the image of the invisible God,” and “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col. But, even though these believers in Ephesus were walking by faith in the Lord Jesus and with love for one another, Paul prays for more.If someone claims to have some new revelation that cannot be found in the written Word, run for cover!

The logical connection is, “Because God has given us such a wealth of spiritual blessings, I pray that He would grant you a deeper experiential knowledge of Him. Then the Lord told Moses to hide himself in the cleft of a rock, where God would cover Moses with His hand and pass by. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. What attracted Packer to Puritan writing was their compelling vision of teaching people how to live with, for, and before God.Just as you know the things that please your close family and friends, you will learn what pleases God as you get to know Him better. One of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals (Christianity Today, 2006) Platinum Book Award, Evangelical Christian Publishing Association For over 40 years, J. Packer once defined theology as “the use of the mind and the tongue to celebrate God and get clear in one’s thinking and talking about him. New rhythms of school, sports, and other extracurricular activities can quickly fill up a family’s already busy calendar. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.