Deuteronomy 6:23 And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He sware unto our Fathers.
Moses is referring to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, which is recorded in the Book of Exodus. The Book of Exodus is the “going-out” book. The children of Israel could not enter the land God had promised their fathers until after they were out of Egypt. So, God brought them out to bring them in. It is the same with us in this day. We cannot move into a new realm in God until we move out of the one we are in. The problem that many Christians have of moving into the promises of God is that they are not willing to leave their present place in God. It is like Jesus said, “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desires new: for he saith, The old is better” (Luke 5:39).
When the Lord says that He brings us out in order to bring us in, that is exactly what He means. He brings us out of where we are in our Christian experience to bring us into a new and higher relationship with Him. Some say, “I’m willing to leave Egypt, but I’m not willing to leave what God was to me while I was in Egypt.” You will have to leave that, too! You cannot know the God you haven’t met until you are willing to leave the One you have known; that is, what He has been to you. Let me give you an example: A six-year-old girl has a certain relationship with her mother. Ten years later that relationship has changed dramatically. At each step of the way certain aspects of their relationship changed. Something of the old relationship was left to enter into something new.
Philippians 3:7-10 But what
things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but
dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in Him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know Him….
Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen. Paul had a relationship with the Lord beyond that of many Christians because he took the initiative to move into new realms in God. Things that were gain to him, he counted as loss for Christ. He knew that he could not move into more of God without counting as loss even those things that were a blessing to him. Therefore, he counted all things as loss that he “might know Him.” Paul wanted to know the “Him” that he didn’t know yet.
Do you believe that what you know of the Lord is all that He is? I’m sure you do not. He is much more! Do you want to know the Lord in new ways? Though Paul knew the Lord, he said, “I want to know Him!” He wanted to know the “Him” he didn’t know yet. And he knew how to reach into that new relationship with the Lord. He counted all else as loss. We can do the same thing. We can know the “Him” we don’t know yet.
Copyright © 2003 by Henry DuBose