God only wants what is best for His children.
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9-10)
My parents only wanted what was best for my siblings and me. For them, that meant ensuring we did well in our education and thus setting us up to do well in society. It also meant being brought up in the fear and knowledge of God. They set the example of what it was to put in work and be diligent in that as well as be faithful to serving God in church. They wanted us to be people of worth as measured by a godly character. Whether they succeeded in those efforts isn’t for me to say about me – though I can say it turned out well for my siblings.
My wife and I only want what is best for our children. To that end, we have sought to show by example what it is to live and then instruct them on key values and qualities that make life worth living. Central to that has been our faith in Jesus Christ. It’s our desire for our children to appreciate how life begins and ends with a right relationship with the Creator so they can truly enjoy life to the full. As our parents gave us the space and time to make decisions for ourselves and be responsible, we have looked to give our children the space and time to make decisions for themselves as they recognise the importance of taking responsibility. Whether we’ve succeeded in these efforts is a work in progress as long as we’re all alive.
Even greater than our hopes, though, is what God desires from His children. The concept of Kingdom Position Ministries alludes to the reality that God strategically locates us to be ambassadors for His rule. He expects us to grow where we’re planted. That’s not primarily about a geographical situation; it is about a spiritual location that God wants us to appreciate and lean on Him to be fruitful. What Paul expresses to the church in Colossae reflects that desire for the saints to realise that God wants them to grow and be fruitful in Him. Doing that requires being deeply rooted in Him, knowing Him and being able to walk in a way that reflects this pivotal relationship.
As this is His desire for us, He takes the necessary steps to establish the relationship. Among those steps is how He reaches us to help us recognise that He sees us. He does not neglect us, nor does He overlook us; instead, He sees us for who we are and for what He made us to be. As well as this level of recognition, there’s also the reassurance that He knows us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. And that knowing is not a passive intellectual exercise; it is an intimate idea of what it is to experience liberating, life-enhancing interaction with understanding and wisdom. The most wonderful aspect of what God does is that to be seen and known is a part of the bigger deal of experiencing what it is to be loved by Him. This is not an ordinary love at all – this is sacrificial love, this is restorative love, this is redemptive love, this is holy love. To be loved in this way is transformative, not just as we experience it, but as it then shapes how we interact with others.
In Christ, then, we are seen, we are known, and we are loved all in a bid that we can thrive. To thrive is to be fruitful. To thrive is to be successful as God defines it. To thrive is to express the fullness of life at the individual and communal level as designed by the one who sees, knows and loves.
As that is taking place in us, there is the desire for that to be a reality through us, so others can get in on this. So it’s worth exploring further what it is to be seen, to be known, to be loved, to be able to thrive …
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
Next Steps
Reflect: When did you last feel loved by God? How would you describe that experience to someone who does not know God?
Pray: Thank You for rescuing, restoring, and establishing us in You, Father. Thank You for Your Son who helps us know what it is to be seen, known and loved. Help us to rest deeper in this reality so we can walk in a way pleasing to you and thriving by producing the fruit that lasts.
Act: Write a journal entry or record a voice note recounting your first experience of being known by God. Share it with a friend and exchange experiences of what it means to be seen, known and loved by God.
