Longing for God.

      Throughout the scriptures we find instances of individuals with a hunger for God. Read David's words, "One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple" (Psalm 27:4) It is the presence of the LORD that David desires above all things, and that which he determines to seek. 

     Consider the longing for God portrayed in verses like these,

     As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2)

     O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. ( Psalm 63:1-2)

     How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. (Psalm 84:1-2)

     A common theme in these verses is that of the tabernacle. It was here under the old covenant, that the presence of God "tabernacled", or dwelled. These psalms tell of instances such as David's flight from king Saul, or his fleeing from Absalom, where access to the tabernacle was impossible. Later on it was a similar thing during the Babylonian captivity when the temple was destroyed and the nation was carried away, far from the sacrifices and offerings prescribed in the law. Part of Daniel's prayer of repentance (Daniel 9:1-19), is a plea for God to shine His face once more upon His sanctuary that lies desolate (Daniel 9:17).

     Ultimately, God does not live in man made temples (Isaiah 66:1-2), but dwells within those who are surrendered to Him. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). We can carry His presence with us no matter what we face in life. And, like the examples old the old covenant saints, we are called to be strangers and aliens on this earth (Heb 11:9-10, 13-16).  To live this way, seeking nothing in this world, but looking to that which is to come should sharpen our hunger, increase our thirst, our longings after God. We are warned not to lay up material treasures in this life, but rather treasure in heaven. To pursue material things, and yet attempt to serve God is an impossibility. One pursuit must eliminate the other (see Matthew 6:19-33).  Much like a child "spoiling" their supper by sneaking an afternoon snack, we too can destroy our hunger for God by focusing on material things. 

     Picture a husband and wife, who through some circumstance find themselves absent from each other. If they are truly in love, they will long for each other, counting the days until they are reunited. Every letter, phone call, message, will be precious, giving them encouragement and hope until they see each other once again. What about our relationship with Christ? We are in this world, absent from His physical presence. It is true that by the Spirit we have fellowship with Him now. We can sense in a very real way His presence in our lives, but someday we will see Him face to face. The bible states that someday Jesus will return for those who love His appearing (2 Tim 4:8), and for those who eagerly await Him (Hebrews 9:28). 

     So do we long for His appearing like a wife longing for her husband to return from an extended trip? Are we eagerly awaiting His return? I do not mean in some abstract way, such as agreeing to the fact of Jesus' return someday and how wonderful it will be, but an actual longing for Him, an ardent desire to see Him face to face.

     I fear so many of us are going through life busily wrapped up in our day to day lives. Our jobs, hobbies, pursuits and possessions are taking up the space in our lives, and "spoiling our spiritual hunger for Jesus. Can we say with an honest heart that we are eagerly awaiting Him, longing for His second coming? Do our hearts and flesh cry out for the living God? Can we agree with the sons of Korah that a day in thy courts is better than a thousand (Psalm 84:10)? Or, has life treated us so well that we are no longer strangers here, but have settled in?  

     

Redeem the Time!

Only one life 'twill soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. C.T. Studd

 As I was out doing some yard work this morning, I began to reflect back over the years of my life. I looked back at things that were milestones in my life, but I also looked back at those things that seemed so empty and meaningless, and realized that so much of my life has been wasted living for the here and now, and so little has been done for the cause of Christ.

Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I has exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

To be sure, we all have our jobs and families to look after and care for. Jesus expects us to be responsible for them. To do less is to deny the faith (1 Tim 5:8).  Yet, it seems that for so many of us, our lives never rise any higher than the temporal. We say we are living for Christ, but in reality we spend our time at our jobs, at our hobbies, working for a vacation, looking to get ahead a little bit in this world. We enjoy our friends and families, which in itself is fine, but we rise no higher. At the end of the day, we are only pursuing our own interests, at the expense of Christ's.

If all we ever accomplish in this life is merely our daily routine, we have failed miserably. We are admonished to seek first the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33). It does not cut it to live out our days for ourselves, go to Church on Sunday and Wednesday evening, and think that we are on fire Christians. We are supposed to be dead to this world, our lives are supposed to be hidden with Christ. As those who are risen with Christ, we are to be seeking those things that are above (Col 3:1-3). That kind of life should be quite different from that which so many of us are used to!

Paul has this to say, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil (Eph 5:15-16). Walking as wise men, making the most of our time! Time goes by so swiftly. The years seem to fly by, opportunities come and go, some we will never have again! Our lives as Christians are not about us, but are absolutely, totally to be lived all out for Christ. Let us redeem the time that is left, making the most of every opportunity. Whatever is done, no matter how good the deed, noble the motive, is still empty if it was not done for Christ.

                                                                 

Grieving the Spirit.

    And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption
     Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
     And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
                                               Ephesians 4:30-32 KJV

     Many Christians find themselves in a rut. Their lives seem dry and empty. Many struggle to pray; it seems the heavens are like brass, and no prayer can get through. For many, church has become a mere routine. Worship has lost the life that it once had. Instead of sensing the nearness of the presence of God, He now seems distant, and silent. What has happened? The Christian life that was once vibrant is now strangely stagnant.
     There are many Christians who have allowed bitterness and anger to slip into their lives. Something has caused an offense, and instead of gracefully letting it go, it has been allowed to fester deep within the heart. Others have fallen into the habit of gossip and slander. It seems so harmless to talk about what is happening in the life of someone else. What happens when we gossip and backbite; when we become bitter and unforgiving, is that we grieve the Holy Spirit. We have ceased to walk in love, the very thing the Holy Spirit desires to form in us.
     To grieve the Spirit is to cause Him deep sorrow and pain. We are no longer keeping in step with the Spirit's leading, but are in opposition to the unity He is striving for among brethren. We are walking in the flesh! We block the flow of the Spirit's presence and power by our sin. This is why Jesus tells us to first go and be reconciled to our brother (Matt 5:23-24). This is why Jesus tells us to forgive, if we would be forgiven (Matt 6:14-15). Bitterness will shut out our prayers (Mark 11:25-26). We often take our Christian life for granted. We do not always notice the coolness slipping into our spiritual lives. We do not always sense the "silence" of the Spirit.
     If we would have Him back in real presence and power, we must repent! We must go back and find where we have been angry, where we have harbored bitterness. We must search it out and be reconciled to those we have offended, and forgive those who have offended us. We must let it go! Why not be wronged, as Paul states (1 Cor 6:7)? We must look at the gossip and slander that we have partaken of, and if necessary, go and undo the damage that we have caused, to the best of our ability. These are hard words, but unless we are willing to do what we can to make things right, we have not really repented.
     We are called to walk worthy of the call of God in our lives. This is to be done in humility, meekness, and patience. We are to put up with one another in love, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). As Christians we are to work hard, with much patience, and much grace, to walk in true unity. This means that we must be kind, we must be humble, we must forgive, we must love! This is what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in the body as we cooperate with Him. If we would desire His presence among us, and His power at work in and through us, we must walk in love!

Falling Out of Love

     Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
                                 Revelation 2:4 KJV

     Revelation 2:1-7

     A man passionately in love with Jesus will labor for the Lord with an untiring zeal. He will endure hardship and tribulation for the sake of Christ with joy. He will carefully guard the truth, and contend for the faith, lest the name of Christ be reproached, and His glorious gospel misrepresented. All of this flows from his love for Christ, as love will constrain a man to do great things for the sake of another.
     There is a subtle danger however. After a lifetime of tireless work for the Lord, a man may find to his sorrow, that his passion for Christ has departed. He has tirelessly endured labors and hardships, he still earnestly stands for truth, he has fearlessly warned others of false teachers and doctrines, but these things, now, are the things he loves, in place of Christ.