Freedom is Good News Part 180

Sometimes, friends and brethren, as I sit to write another article, I am overwhelmed by the width, the depth, the length and, oh yes, the vastness, of the number of topics we might pursue when considering these articles.  In many ways, God’s word is infinite.  I am convinced that no human being could ever exhaust the study of the things our Father has for us in His word.  So let’s just pick up the thread we have already started.

In our previous article I mentioned that Jesus quoted from the prophet Isaiah saying, “These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” (See Isa. 29:13 and Matt. 15:7-9)  In this quote, Jesus was railing against the Pharisees and teachers of the law, but I must ask the question, does this apply to us today?

Each and every one of us must answer this question for ourselves.  Growing up in a rather large metropolitan area on the eastern seaboard, I was taught to accept those things that were imparted to me in my religious studies.  Sometime later I was challenged by a teacher to question the ideas that had been drilled into me.  I started to see some major incongruities and hypocrisies in those things I had been taught.  I fled from religion but still kept a loose understanding of God in my heart.

It was about 7 years later that I felt like God was drawing me back to Him.  I fought that feeling, that calling of God, for another 2 years.  God was patient!  God was persistent!  I had to look into His word for myself and in that word, I found so many wonderful things that I had no recourse but to answer His call.  I will be very honest with you, in that day I wanted nothing else but a true and close relationship with my Heavenly Father and with His Son.  I have not changed my mind.

I believe that the 27th Psalm might say it best.  This Psalm was written by King David and he was known to be ‘a man after God’s own heart’.  Here is what David wrote in verse 7&8, “Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.  My heart says of you ‘Seek His face!’  Your face, O LORD, I will seek.”

David put it this way in Psalm 24:5-6, “He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God His Savior; for such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.” 

How about you?  Have you ever considered it your life’s goal to seek the face of God and so find a close and personal relationship with Him?  The word ‘seek’ in the previous scripture literally means to ‘beat a path toward’!!  I think we understand what it means to beat a path toward something.  If we walk through tall grass to get to the barn only once, we merely disturb the grass.  But if we go back to that barn through that tall grass again and again and again, we begin to beat a path through the grass.  And my friends, so it is with God and with His Son.  Never be satisfied with a so-so relationship.  Beat a true and everlasting path to Him; oh what joy that will bring!  Seek His face.                                                    

Freedom is Good News Part 12

It was about 7 months ago that these articles got their start. This will be the 29th in this series of articles titled “Yes, There is Good News”. In that time I have had several people mention that they do read what I have written but I suspect that there are many more who are also readers. I consider this opportunity as a blessing for me and also a chance to be a blessing to those who may read. Writing these articles affords me the chance to sit down and think upon God’s word. And for me, that is good news!

Some time ago I made mention of the desire I have to encourage you the reader to pick up God’s word and read it for yourself. More than encourage, I have the desire to urge you to read God’s word. Personally, I find that there is no greater calling in this life than to develop a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father and there are several things we can do to attain that goal. The top two things on that list are: spend some time in prayer and read what God has to say to you.

When you read the bible you will come to know God. And when you come into the presence of God and open up your heart to Him in prayer, God gets to know you.

What’s that you say? God already knows you. Let’s examine that thought. There are two separate times in scripture wherein God says He never knew someone. The first is found in Matthew 7:15, “Not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you lawless ones!” In other words, if we think that we have something to offer God (prophesying and miracles) and yet we have no knowledge of the will of God and of His law, we have a problem and are going about knowing Him (or shall we say “being known by Him”) in the wrong way!

I can never come to know another person without that person revealing himself to me. I’m sure we have all known someone who is unreachable. They have built a great wall around themselves so as not to let anyone in. God of course can “look over any wall” we may create, but will He? God is a Father and He wants His children to open up to Him. He wants us to get on our knees and tell Him our inner wants and desires, our thoughts and the meditations of our hearts.

Perhaps the inner desire of our heart is to understand the things we read in His word. This is a wonderful place to begin that much needed relationship with Him. I think we all know that there are many places in the word of God that can be challenging to understand. I have heard it said that the things in this life that are valuable and that are worthwhile are the things we must work for.

We’ll visit more on this later.