The students and staff at Credo Christian High School have chosen Ephesians 1:17 as their Theme Bible Text for this year:   

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.

In Ephesians 1:17 Paul is praying that the Lord might spare Christians from a frantic search for things they already possess. He asks God to give them "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" so they might know what they possess and make use of it. 

As God’s people, many of us waste time asking God for things He has already given. We ask God for strength, yet the Bible says we can “do all things through Christ who strengthens us” (Phil. 4:13). We ask for love, yet the Bible says, “God has poured out his love into our hearts" (Rom. 5:5). We pray for grace, yet God says, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Cor. 12:9). And we pray for peace, but the Bible says, "and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:7). We need to know what we have in Christ, and the wisdom to apply it. 

Our minds cannot conceive of the riches of our position in Christ. Only the Spirit can search the deep things of God and reveal them to us. 

The Greek word translated "revelation," used in verse 17 as a synonym of wisdom, refers to God's imparting of knowledge to us, while "wisdom" could emphasize our use of that knowledge. We must know about our position and resources in Christ before we can effectively use them. Paul wanted the Ephesians to have a full, deep knowledge of Christ, not just an intellectual acquaintance with the basic facts.

The Christian life is predicated on what you know. Truth must be revealed to you before you can practice it. That's why we at CredoChristianHigh School devote so much of our time to teaching God's Word and sharing a Biblical perspective.  Paul prayed that we would gain a divine perspective--that we would set our "minds on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:2).

Let us all set our minds on the things that are above … exhibiting Christ like wisdom and displaying His attitude as we develop our academic, vocational, technical, musical, artistic and athletic talents to the honour and praise of our Lord and King.

May we all have a good year, sharing our expertise, insights, encouragement, enthusiasm, and Christian love living in Christian community.   

H. Moes
September 2009