One Thing (Part 3 of 3)

The Responsibility of Seeking God

The whole purpose of human life is to seek God. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26-27). God has made it possible for us to seek Him and to find Him. Notice that there is some human responsibility to seek after God. Anyone who does not seek God has missed the whole point of life, no matter what else they might do or accomplish. God has revealed himself to every person in some way and He will hold each one of us responsible for how we respond to that revelation. All of the promises of God are to seekers. Those who seek are the ones who find. If a person has not found God it is because they are not honestly seeking God. There is no promise to those who give up on this search. Men are seeking many things besides God. Many of these things come from God but cannot be found apart from God. Men seek for the things that they want or desire. They extend effort for these things because they place great value on them. Everyone desires something and everyone will extend themselves for that thing, whatever it might be. Life can be described as a great search for something. No one will be able to keep the things of the world, which are passing away. So those who seek God will never be disappointed because the things of God are eternal and unchanging. A person who lives only for this world is a fool.

Why don’t men seek God? Men do not think that they really need God. This is the pride of life (John 2.15-17). Some do not believe that God exists, which is the first step of faith (Heb. 11.6). People love darkness rather than light because of evil deeds (John 3.19-21). The trouble with the human race is that men do not seek God. To desire and seek anything above God is fundamentally wrong. The things that this world lusts after are not worthy of our affection. Men seek the gifts and not the Giver. We should enjoy the gifts and thank the Giver! God has made the first move toward mankind. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. All of our seeking would be in vain if God did not want to be found. God is invisible and we would never discover God if He had not revealed Himself to us. We seek God because He wants us to find Him. However, there will come a time when it will be too late to seek the Lord and our opportunity will be gone. So we should seek the Lord while He may be found and call on Him while He is near!

Many people live as if God were not real or that He perhaps is not aware of them. Being God-conscious requires faith and involves the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. This is also why we are to pursue holiness. Salvation through Christ is the preparation for living forever in the presence of the Lord. Even now we are invited into the Most Holy Place, having confidence to enter by the blood of Jesus. We are invited to enter into God’s presence whenever we want and we can stay as long as we want! We have access to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The first response to being in the presence of God is a feeling of unworthiness, as Isaiah experienced when he saw a vision of the Throne of God. The Gospel is designed to remove guilt and give confidence in the presence of the Lord. We must do everything we can to maintain our purity and confidence before the Lord. This involves confessing our sin immediately to God. Don’t let anything, even sin, come between you and God! It is amazing how many people do not have confidence with God. Believing the Gospel of Christ removes guilt and gives confidence so we can begin to seek the Lord instead of hiding from Him in fear.

Every aspect of life must be devoted to the glory of God. There can be no separation of sacred and secular.  We must deny ourselves and put to death whatever does not glorify God. This means that I must think of everything in relation to God and never consider anything in my life in isolation from Him. We love nothing for its own sake but only as it brings us closer to God. If we cannot find a way to connect something  to the glory of God then it probably does not belong in our lives and is not worth our time, even if it is not forbidden. This principle applies to religious activities. Lifeless religion does not require the presence of God and is not received by Him. Unfortunately, religious people are usually not sensitive enough to recognize the absence of God. Much of the machinery of religion can continue to run without God being there.

There is no excuse for being ignorant of God. A child of God has an appetite for knowing God, which is itself eternal life (John 17.3). It is wrong to give God a casual glance now and then. We should be gazing continually at the Lord. Jesus came to make the Father known and grant access to God. We see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ there can be no true knowledge or access to God. Gazing at the Lord, or considering His attributes, is the nature of true worship. More insight into the nature of God leads to more transformation in us. When we see Christ, we will be like Him, seeing Him as He is. The one who has this hope purifies himself even as he is pure (See 1 John 3.1-3).

God Himself is the reward of the righteous. God said to Abraham: “I am your very great and exceeding reward.” God’s people are not mercenaries, seeking only the blessings of God. At the end of time the redeemed will see His face–what they have been seeking all along! With God comes everything else we might need or desire, not only in this world but also in the world to come. If we desire God above all then all of our desires will be sanctified.