To look for something or to pursue after something requires us to turn away from something else

My Uncle Cyril was a man who had a memory like a steel trap – he was forever quoting favourite Bible verses, quotes, and poetry (I attribute my love of Robert Service to him). On one occasion when a man jogged by us, Uncle Cyril commented, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth,” which is reference to Proverbs 28:1.

Our lives are filled with pursuits, whether they are of family, success, health, or wealth (not necessarily in that order). What are we hoping to find in our pursuits? For some, it’s a longing for peace, contentment, and some kind of satisfaction or happiness; for others it could be recognition, respect, or a sense of belonging and self-discovery. When our pursuit is after anything other than God, the longing will remain and no amount of family, success, health, or wealth will ever satisfy. As Tozer said, “The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us.”

Pursuit of God is not for the faint of heart

The pursuit of God is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for those who are more interested in self-help and self care than they are the death of self and life in Christ. An excellent example of this is Solomon. For a time he sought after God, and when God granted him anything in the world, Solomon asked for wisdom. When Solomon stopped seeking after God and started seeking after self-satisfaction, his life went off the rails.

Solomon’s father David did just the opposite. David’s life certainly was not perfect, and history shows there were definitely times when he pursued after his flesh rather than pursuing God, but still David is considered a man after God’s own heart. “Seek the LORD and his strength,” David exhorted in 1 Chronicles 16:11, “Seek his face continually.” David, in the midst of all his screw-ups and shortcomings, still remembered that his pursuit of God was the most important thing. Can the same be said of us?

Seek the Lord first

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;” Christ Himself said in Matthew 6:33, “and all these things shall be added unto you.” By “all these things”, our Lord refers to our lives and everything contained therein, from food and clothing to shelter and protection. Notice how He said, “seek ye first.” Is it wrong to seek after success? Not necessarily, but when we don’t put our pursuit of God before our earthly passions, we’re headed for trouble.

To look for something or to pursue after something requires us to turn away from something else. Seeking God requires us to turn to Him, and that means turning away from anything that could get in the way. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).  

Originally published as “What are you looking for?” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. October 17, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

We’re called to active duty

There’s a traditional hymn called “I’m in the Lord’s army,” and the title of the song is lost on many. There is truth in it, however. As Christian soldiers, there are many things warring against us: The world, our flesh, Satan, false teachers, even what Paul called “oppositions of science falsely so called”. So how can we be prepared?

When we enlist in the Lord’s army, we’re called to active duty. Christ Himself commanded us in Matthew 28:18-20, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Go ye therefore! We are called to let our light shine, not to hide our faith under a bushel. Newsflash: This means that we must share the truth in love. How will anyone learn of Christ if they don’t see Him in us? How will anyone learn of Christ if we’re afraid to share the truth?

Be strong and endure

We’re also called to be strong and to endure, and these are two characteristics that we must develop if we’re going to share Christ with others. We need to be prepared, to be questioned, and to be opposed, – check out Christ’s earthly ministry for examples. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:1 that we should “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Two verses later in 2 Timothy 2:3, he encourages us to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” At the same time we’re called to be strong in the grace of our Lord, we are also called to endure hardness. We don’t develop strength unless we endure hardness. We can’t have one without the other.

Always alert and focused

Good soldiers are also always alert and focused. In his first epistle, Peter wrote that Christians should “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” (1 Peter 5:8). As Christians, we need to be alert at all times. We should not be fearful; rather we should be frequent in our conversations with God. We should not be discouraged; we should be down on our knees in prayer. We should not give up; we should we give our burdens to God. The devil is busy, and he wants to keep us busy with anything but God. We need to stay focused, specifically on Christ. We should constantly be looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “God knows that soldiers are to be made only in battle; they are not to be grown in peaceful times. We may grow the stuff of which soldiers are made; but warriors are really educated by the smell of powder, in the midst of whizzing bullets and roaring cannonades… Is He not developing in you the qualities of the soldier by throwing you into the heat of battle, and should you not use every application to come off conqueror?”

Originally published as “Soldiers are made for battle.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. November 7, 2019: 6. Print. Web.