I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (Ephesians 1:17, NIV)
I want to get better at golf, I really do. I want to find my line off the tee more often and with more distance. I want to flight my irons with reliable shape and trajectory. I want to land my pitch shots on the mark nearly every time. And I want to make the putts that count—which is most of them.
I want to get better at relationships, I really do. I want to be thoughtful and authentic in my words, bring up the hard questions but listen with humility, remember every birthday and give meaningful and timely gifts. I want to be kind.
If we’re eager to grow in general, we should be doubly eager to grow in Christ.I want to keep my priorities in order, I really do. Whatever falls after, God and others need to come first and second. You might say I need to love myself before I can love others, but you won’t find that in Scripture, so I want to be extremely careful with that idea. I fear it gives me permission to mess up the order of what’s important in life.
I want to work smarter and harder both. I want these words I type to reach your heart. I want to prepare a meal like the chefs on the cooking shows and design a room like the remodelers on the home shows. I want my garden to grow with vibrant colors—and I don’t mind doing some weeding to get it there.
Maybe I should stop now. But I don’t want you to miss the point. In almost no aspect of my life am I ready to move to cruise control. There is always room for better. And I’m eager for it. I think you are, too.
But if we’re so eager to grow in general, we should be doubly eager to grow in Christ. We should read a verse like Ephesians 1:17 and say, “I want someone to pray that for me. And I want that someone to keep asking until I have received the Spirit that allows me to know God better.”
Here’s another thing: If I want to bless others, I should be praying this for them. I should keep asking until they come to me and say, “You wouldn’t believe what has happened to me! I have come to know Christ like never before. I thought it was great when he first entered my life, but this is so much more. I want more still and I want others to receive this blessing, too. Let me pray with you for them!”
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Jeff Hopper
July 12, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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