Articles
Seeking
“Seek, and you will find” says the Lord in Matthew 7:7. Remember that Paul noted, “That they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). Keep in mind that your spiritual life is in your hands. God is seeking you, calling to you, acting on your behalf – but you have to be the one to take His help. “But as for Israel He says, ‘All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people’” (Romans 10:21, Isaiah 65:2). His hand is outstretched to each of us for every moment that we breathe, but if we refuse to accept it, the loss of our souls to eternal damnation will be on our own shoulders. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
We must seek Him diligently
“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Do not give up and compromise. Seek God until you find Him, not until you get tired of looking. Seek Him until you have made yourself what He wants you to be, not until you become what you think you should be. Like all things that are worth the work, a relationship with God is not accomplished by accident.
We also need to avoid the trap of thinking that once we have “found” God we need not exert any more effort. Salvation is not an event but a process – a lifelong devotion to the cause of Christ. We encounter peaks and valleys, pitfalls and victories. Sometimes we fail God, but we keep moving toward the goal. Part of seeking Him diligently is remembering that being a saved person requires daily work. “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27). The phrase “to keep oneself” reminds us that we could lose our salvation at any moment if we fail to keep up our guard against the stains of worldliness. We must never lose focus, as some of the Christians in Galatia did; “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness” (Galatians 5:4-5).
