Scripture demands that our seeking God should be done with all our heart. There are several ways of seeking God which must prove to be utter failures:
One is to seek him with no heart at all. This is done by those who take their book and read prayers, never thinking of what they say; or who attend a place of worship, and hear others pray, but never enter in. This is done by those who bend the knee in the evening, and mutter pious words, but never think; or those who rise in the morning and read sacred sentences but never consider; or those who with regard to divine things, are as little concerned as if the gospel were all a legend or an old wives' tale, not worth a moment's thought.
When I have been traveling, I have sometimes seen women reading those trashy novels. I have seen them waste their tears on some imaginary heroine or hero and yet they and others hear about the majesty and the love of God, without emotion. They read of Heaven and Hell, and Christ and God, with scarcely a thought.
Dear friend, you will never find the Lord if you seek him in a heartless, unthinking manner. God is not mocked. If any of you have fallen into a formal religion and seek the Lord without your heart, then your seeking is in vain.
Some seek God with a false heart. Their piety is a transient feeling, and not deep soul-work. It is mere sentimentality, and not the engraving of God's Spirit upon the heart. Beware of a false religious excitement of being borne up with religious gas as some are, inflated like balloons by a tear-jerking sermon, only to burst by-and-by when most they need something to support them. May God grant us to be saved from a lie in the heart, for it is a deadly canker, fatal to all hope of finding the Lord.
If your heart is divided, then you will be found lacking. Those prayers will never get to Heaven, which only fly upward with one wing. If one oar pulls towards earth and the other towards Heaven, then the boat of the soul will revolve in a circle of folly but never reach the happy shore. Beware of a double heart.
Some seek God with half a heart. They have a little concern and are not altogether indifferent. They somewhat think when they pray, or read, or sing but their thoughts are quite trivial and inconsequential. Superficial in all things, the seed is sown in stony ground, and soon it is withered away because there is no depth of earth. May the Lord save us from this.
Now, you who are seeking Christ, remember that if you would find Him, then you must neither seek Him without heart, nor with a false heart, nor with a double heart, nor with a half heart. But "You shall find Me," says the Lord, "when you shall search for Me with all your heart."
If your hearts are not right with God, then you must take your place with the wicked in Hell. Lost man! What will you do when you go down to eternal Hell?
[Charles H. Spurgeon]
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Jeremiah 29:13 ... And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Acts 17:27 ... That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Mark 4:16-17 ... And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. ❤
"True humility," said one, "is a lovely ornament; it is the only suitable dress for a saved sinner!" O let us seek then to be clothed in this robe, that we may be brought to lie low at the footstool of our Maker and Redeemer.
In the saints of old, this grace of humility appeared with marked prominence; and they are patterns for our imitation.
There was Abraham, the father of the faithful and the friend of God. How great was his humility! How profound his self-abasement! "I have ventured to speak to the Lord, even though I am nothing but dust and ashes!" (Genesis 18:27) He was filled with a consciousness of his absolute nothingness in the presence of the Great Eternal.
There was David also, who speaks of himself as "a worm and not a man!" Job cried out, "Behold, I am vile!" (Job 40:4)
In the apostle Paul, again, what a striking exemplification have we of this grace of humility. If self-delight were ever allowable in any individual, it would be in him; for such a laborious, self-denying, unselfish character, has doubtless not yet appeared; the man Christ Jesus alone, and always excepted.
But what were Paul's views and feelings in reference to himself? On one occasion we hear him saying that he was not worthy to be called an apostle. At another time he says, "I am less than the least of all God's people!" (Ephesians 3:8) And when penning one of his last epistles, he designates himself the very chief of sinners! He was brought to know himself some knowledge in which all wisdom centers. If we knew ourselves as he did, pride and self-delight would find no room within us!
But, above all, let us consider Him who said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart." (Matthew 11:29) The heaven of heavens could not contain Him; all the fullness of the Eternal Godhead dwelt in Him; devils trembled at His rebuke and flew from His presence to the abodes of misery; yet how gentle, how humble He was! Reader, aspire after conformity to Christ in His humility.
Against the proud, God's displeasure has been manifested in all ages.
Think of Pharaoh. The language of that proud monarch was, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?" (Exodus 5:2) But the Divine Majesty could not bear to be thus insulted; hence the puny worm with all his legions were destroyed they sank as lead in the mighty waters!
Think of Nebuchadnezzar. Hear his boasting exclamation, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30) But God resisted him, and he was turned from the society of men to eat grass with the beasts of the field!
Think of Herod. With what delight did he receive the applause of the people, when they cried, "It is the voice of a god, and not the voice of man!" But the angel of the Lord smote him, and he was eaten with worms! (Acts 12:23)
While, however, God resists the proud; He has promised to give grace unto the humble. The humble are the objects of His special regard. "For thus says the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy: I dwell in the high and holy place" that is one of the palaces of the Great King, where the throne of His glory is erected, where the countless armies of cherubim and seraphim are stationed, and where perfected saints reside. But He has another place of habitation: "with him also, who is humble and contrite in spirit!" (Isaiah 57:15)
[John MacDuff]
1 Peter 5:5 ... Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
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As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday this week, we reflect on God’s providence and blessing on this nation over the past two and half centuries. And while America has been a blessed country, it is like any other nation that will rise and fall. It is up to the Lord and His sovereignty if the United States will last another 250 years. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations and leads them away. (Job 12:23)
Today is the day of Pentecost, which means "50th" in Greek. The Feast of Pentecost was a major Jewish celebration, also called "Shavu'ot" or "Feast of Weeks" which happened 50 days after Passover. For Christians, it also marks the day in which the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and started the church. This came after they had been waiting for about 9-10 days after Jesus ascended. I'm sure the prayer of "Come, Holy Spirit" were on the mouths and hearts of the apostles during this time period. That was the inspiration for this piece.
In the Interlinear Greek New Testament, Mark 11:22 is properly translated "...Have faith from God," not "...Have faith in God." Similar translations have Jesus calling us to "...have the faith of God." But what does that even look like?
As New Covenant believers, this means resting in the finished work of Christ on our behalf. (Galatians 2:20) It's embracing what God believes to be true about each one of us. It's seeing things from the Lord's perspective and agreeing with Him about His Kingdom. This requires a change of outlook, and this is what "true repentance" is all about!
The Greek word for "repentance" (metanoia) means "a change of thinking." It's not about "re-penance!" (penance on steroids) It's not about self-abasement or proving our devotion to God by our religious performance! "Metanoia" is all about letting Holy Spirit change our way of thinking to embrace all Father has given us in Jesus and acting accordingly.
We are sons and daughters; we're the bride of Christ! It's time to live like it and live loved!!
[Stephen S.J. Hill]
Whether you accept Him or not and whether you believe or not, Christ is LORD.
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Philippians 2:10-11 ... That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Acts 10:36 .... The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
Psalm 14:1 ... The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Revelation 17:14 ... These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. ❤
Your calling is going to crush you.
I had a vision of a mighty elephant being surrounded, not by lions, which would make sense, but by a huge pack of wolves. That alone struck me. Elephants roam African terrain; wolves do not belong there. Yet there they were, biting him piece by piece. It was painful to watch. I felt compassion. I felt grief. It reminded me of the movie Black Hawk Down when the helicopter went down in enemy territory. That soldier fought until his last breath, firing as the enemy swarmed him. I remember the camera panning over the scene as the mob rushed in. Watching that scene, I felt such sorrow for that warrior who stood his ground until the very end.
As long as a man thinks he can save himself, he remains lost.
[Martyn Lloyd-Jones]
Acts 4:12 ... Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
John 4:42 ... And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Romans 10"9 ... That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ❤
