Tag Archives: Seeking God

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Posted on by

img_9797-2.jpg

π‘€π‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ 𝑗𝑒𝑠𝑑 π‘π‘Žπ‘ π‘ π‘’π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘ π‘’π‘Žπ‘ π‘œπ‘› π‘œπ‘“ π‘π‘’π‘™π‘’π‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘›π‘” πΆβ„Žπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘šπ‘Žπ‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‡β„Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘’ 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠’ π·π‘Žπ‘¦. π‘Šβ„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘”β„Žπ‘‘π‘  π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘› π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘šπ‘Žπ‘–π‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘¦π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿ? π‘Šβ„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 π‘π‘’π‘™π‘’π‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘‘? π‘Šβ„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 π‘ π‘œπ‘’π‘”β„Žπ‘‘? π‘Šβ„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑑𝑠 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛?

Chapter 5Β  Hide and Seek (book excerpt)
I have seen a phrase on Christmas merchandise that says, β€œWise men still seek Him.” The foundational reference is to the wise men who were seeking Jesus around the time of His birth, the ones who traveled many miles in order to worship Him and present Him with gifts (see Matt. 2:1–11). The reference for today’s usage of the phrase is that wisdom is indicated if we are spiritually seeking Jesus. We often put great emphasis on this story, focusing our thoughts onto it to see how we might apply the concept to our own lives. What does it mean today for us to seek Him? And will we be wise enough to do it? Will we do it even if it involves much time and great distances? What gifts will we present to Him when we find Him? These are important questions for us to answer, not just at Christmastime, but every day of the year.

***
CHAPTER 6 Lost and Found
We lose all sorts of things in life: money, homes, jobs, loved ones, health, quality of life, and sometimes even life itself. We also find all sorts of things: happiness, the loves of our lives, the perfect jobs, and sometimes even our car keys. But have we ever found the most important thing, the thing that we can never lose: the salvation of our eternal souls?

THE CALL TO THE LOST
There were specific events for which Jesus came to live on earth. He was given an invitation by His Father to be the Savior of the world, and He responded favorably to the invitation. He prepared for the event of saving the world by His first advent: β€œFor unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). During the course of His ministry, Jesus clarified why He came and why He did not come. He came to preach, to call sinners to repentance, and to save lives (see Mark 1:38, 2:17; Luke 9:56). Jesus came into many cities, and He came in with the intent to minister (Mark 10:45).

As Jesus traveled around, He gave people His time, and He gave them Himself. He did not blow through town like a whirlwind, forcing and rushing His way through. While He was going along His way, He focused His time and attention on the people He encountered. He sometimes spent all day healing the crowds although He could have done it in a single moment with a single word. He saw that the crowds were like sheep without a shepherd, and thus, had compassion on them (Mark 6:34). He gave people His personal touch. He asked them of their faith, asked what they wanted and needed, and took time to encourage them. And then the healing came.

… The underlying reason why Jesus lived like He did was that He came β€œto seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He came unto us! He did not come for Himself and His benefit, but for us and our benefit. Jesus offered life and help to the people He encountered during His lifetime on earth, and His offer still stands today. Let the love of Jesus find you, wherever it is that you are in life. Let Him shepherd your wandering heart and lead you safely to your eternal home.

Jesus is not only our Shepherd but also our High Priest, the Mediator between us and God (1 Tim. 2:5). Because He is holy, He was able to victoriously do away with our sin by dying on the cross for us. And because He did this for us and then was resurrected from the dead, we can overcome sin and emerge victorious through His power. His sacrifice gives us access to His Father, His power, and His kingdom. Jesus calls each of us to salvation. The wonderful truth is that the lost sheep (us) can be claimed if they want to be claimed! When we come, we will discover that we are welcomed, loved, and valued. Jesus came for us–will we come to Him?

All of the preparations for us to be found have been made, and the barriers that would separate us from God were removed when they were broken down at the cross. We now need to make our way over to His side, walking past those broken barriers instead of repairing them. A simple yes will do. The fighting in our hearts can stop and we can be at peace, if only we will come. We can stop wandering aimlessly through life like lost sheep. We can instead let Him minister to us, heal us, and save us. That is what He came to do, and we are who He came to find.

Francee Strain, No Ordinary Invitation: Called to Live a Life of Eternal Purpose, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), 57, 63-64.

Originally posted Jan. 7, 2019. Reposted January 6, 2020.
Photo by Francee Strain, January 1, 2020.

Resolved to Trust

Posted on by

IMG_9027

“Resolve to come when you hear Him call. Trust Him with your life, with all that you are.”

Book Excerpt:
… We can come, resolving to trust. There will always be areas where our resolve will be strong and other areas where it will be weak, but this should make no difference or cause any delay in coming to God. We need Him in all areas, and thus, we should make our coming soon, and make it quick. Acting will strengthen our trust, while inaction will weaken it. We can ask Him to increase our faith and to help us with any unbelief that we have. We should be resolved to come to Him for His strength–strength to add to our weakness and more strength to add to our existing strength. We can come even if we are a solitary number. We can stand even if we stand alone. We should be willing to pay the ultimate price for Him because He paid the ultimate price for us. We should come like sheep to the shepherd; they come because they are called by a voice that they know and trust. Resolve to come when you hear Him call. Trust Him with your life, with all that you are.

… It is wise to have a heart that listens for God’s voice so that even during times when life seems dead and dark, it will still be able to hear Him. It is also wise to have a responsive heart that is quick to come when God calls it. We need to have the understanding that a delayed response can fill the void with excuses, and before we know it, we might find ourselves disobedient and ignoring His calls. Life and light are there within our grasp; we just need to come forth to receive them. This is wisdom.

We can come to Him whether we know much about Him or little. We can come with whatever amount of spiritual understanding we have. We can come with our searching and ask Him to reveal Himself to us. We can ask Him to make His will known to us. We can come with our confusion and questioning, our bewilderment and asking β€œWhy me?” He gives wisdom liberally to all who ask for it (James 1:5).

God is a big God who allows us to come to Him no matter what our statuses are. We do not have to be a king to gain the attention of the King. We do not have to be perfect to approach the perfect God. We do not have to be a giant of the faith to approach the One who is the source of all faith. We can come no matter the amount of our faith, even if it is as small as a mustard seed. He wants us to be seekers who find Him for the first time. Thereafter, He wants us to be people who continually seek His face. He is there to be found.

When God invited David to seek His face, David decided that his heart would do so (see Ps. 27:8). We do not need to know everything today; we just have to trust that He has our best in mind. We can find a resting place for our bodies, minds, souls, and faith in the safety of His hands. We can place the details of our lives in His capable hands. We can place the recesses of our vulnerable hearts in His loving hands. We can place our trust in Him because of His unfailing hands. He never fails, never breaks His promises, and will never let go of us.

Francee Strain, No Ordinary Invitation: Called to Live a Life of Eternal Purpose, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), 115-116.

Treasure Seekers

Posted on by

063

It is March. People are talking about shamrocks and spring, rainbows and pots of gold found at the end of them. The seeking beginsβ€”for a new season, state titles for sports teams, glittery prom dresses, graduation invitations, and destinations for summer vacations. We are looking ahead to the future, searching and searching for something to fill our needs and satisfy us. Someone else is seeking, tooβ€”God. He is seeking to know us and love us. He has just what we need and what would satisfy us. And wonderfully, He is not elusive like a pot of gold or some other treasure. He is right there to be found, if only we look.

The Call to the Seekers (book excerpt)
He is seeking our hearts and relationships with us. He knows what we need and is able to do miracles to meet our individual needs. Many examples of His individualized care have been recorded throughout historyβ€”in the pages of journals, newspapers, biographies, history books, and the Bible. Sometimes, the care has come in the forms of jobs, material goods, miracles of healing, or someone’s arrival at just the right moment. I have seen provision for my family that has ranged from things as large as a house and land to as small as a pair of toddler’s socks, some contact lenses, and a few words on a page. I am quite sure, too, that there are other larger and smaller things of which I may never be made aware. May we be seekers of God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and He in His divine wisdom will provide what we need (Matt. 6:33). May we come to Him as a new pursuit or as the culmination of what we have been searching for all along. Let us not hide from His light and His love. β€œSeek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near” (Isa. 55:6 NKJV).

Francee Strain, No Ordinary Invitation: Called to Live a Life of Eternal Purpose, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), 57-8.

Photo by Francee Strain