As I was finishing my Master’s Degree at Wheaton College in 1979 I began to think about where to start in ministry. Chi Alpha (XA) seemed to be a logical choice. I had been heavily involved as an undergrad and it had made a huge impact on my spiritual life.
I received the opportunity to start a XA chapter at San Angelo State in Texas. I began to pray about it but could not discern God’s will. He was not giving me a green light, but then again He was not giving me a red light either.
The point came where I had to give an answer. I was praying and even fasting some (you know I had to be serious if I was fasting) in order to find out what God wanted me to do.
There was a chorus that we were singing at our church at the time and God brought it to my mind.
The greatest thing in all my life is knowing you,
The greatest thing in all my life is knowing you,
I want to know you more, I want to know you more,
The greatest thing in all my life is know you.
The second and third verses just substituted the words loving and serving for the word knowing. At the conclusion of this article, I will share with you how God used that chorus to give me direction for my future. But first I want to point out how that song carries great truths to guide us is our lives.
Knowing You. Phil. 3:8-11 gives the greatest amount of expression for the desire to know Jesus Christ seen anywhere in scripture.
In verse 8 the Paul says that he considers everything to be loss compared to knowing Jesus. In other words, the value of knowing Christ far outweighs anything else. If we can know Christ but we lose everything else, then we still come out way ahead!
In verses 10-11 Paul shows us that knowing Christ comes in multifaceted dimensions.
- To know Him in the power of his resurrection. This is, at the same time, both exciting and difficult to fathom. How much power does it take to raise someone from the dead? That is more power than this world knows and it is thrilling to think that we can have that kind of power.
- But then Paul takes us off of our high and tells us that knowing him includes knowing the fellowship of his suffering. I like the resurrection part but not the suffering. But we do not have complete knowledge of Jesus Christ until we know his suffering. Honestly, I wonder how much I have really ever known him in the fellowship of his suffering.
- Being conformed to his death. This is really serious. This is death on the cross; this is death to self; this is death to my own ambition. I do not really know Jesus until I am conformed to his death. Again, I have to wonder how much I have truly been conformed to his death. How much have I died to myself?
Loving You. This means loving Jesus with every part of my being. In Mark 12:29-30, Jesus tells us that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. I love Jesus, but do I love Him with everything that I am? I want to, I really do, but I am afraid that I have a long way to go to love the Lord with everything that I am. Maybe the problem is that I still love myself a little too much.
Serving you. In John 12:23-26, Jesus lays out the pattern for us to serve him. In verse 24, He talks about how he is about to die, like a grain of wheat, in order to bear much fruit. It is the example He has given us.
In order to serve Him, we must be willing to lose our life just as Jesus was willing to lose His. Then he tells us, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be…” (v. 26).
If we are going to serve Jesus then we must follow Him. We must follow him to suffering; we must follow him to death; but ultimately, Praise God, we will follow him to resurrection! Then the Father will honor us because we have followed His Son!
Now back to my decision. God never did tell me what to do. But He spoke to me and said, “No matter where you go or what ministry you do you can know me, love me, and serve me.” He did not tell me what He wanted me to do but gave me the courage to make a choice.
So I called the brother up who had made the offer and told him I just did not think it was God’s will for me to come. The next day I, went to my pastor for counsel and told him where I was at. That night he called me back and told me he had spoken with his father and that he would need a lecture class teacher about the time I would be completing my degree. My pastor was Chuck Meppelink and his dad was Herb Meppelink, the director of Teen Challenge International of Mid-America in Cape Girardeau, MO.
Four months later I was on staff there and I was knowing, loving, and serving God. I pray that we all would, no matter where we are, seek to know, love, and serve Him.
