Seek The Lord

"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."  Isaiah 55:6.  The heart of man must seek the Lord.  The Lord has made Himself available unto all.   We seek the Lord through His word.  God has revealed Himself both through His word and His creation.  These avenues are the proof of God and His desire to relate to His creation.  The existence of the universe creates faith in Him and through His word we learn of Him and His will for our lives.  We must call upon Him through faith and obedience to His will.  As we seek Him, we draw near unto Him as He draws near unto us.  Our seeking of the Lord makes us aware of the need that we have of Him in our life.  We seek Him realizing that life has brevity and weakness.  We seek the Lord with the assurance that He will keep us and guard us.  Our daily search maintains our unity with Him.  While we seek Him, we are free from the cares that will distract us.  While we seek Him, we are endowed with the power to overcome the forces that will destroy us.  God is the only sure search for a meaningful and rewarding life.

Heed Not The Sinful

"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."  Proverbs 1:10.  Sin has always used enticement.  Sin makes that which is bad appear good and that which is wrong appear to be right.  Sin uses deceit.  Sin will never improve our lives nor will sin be a benefit to our character.  Sin causes harm.  It brings regret and guilt.  Sin has destroyed so many lives.  It is that act which destroys homes.  Sin leaves tragedy in its path.  The wisdom of the proverb is that we are to leave sin alone and not listen to its word of enticement.  A wonderful example of not being enticed by sinners is Joseph.  The wife of Potiphar tried to lure him into sin, but Joseph fled the enticement.  His character remained pure and his honor remained intact.  Let us, like Joseph, refuse to be enticed by sinners.

Walking With God

Noah "walked with God."  Genesis 6:9.  Noah lived during a wicked time upon the earth.  The evil was so great that God decided that He would destroy man from off the face of the earth.  Genesis 6:6-7.  And so He did.  Noah and his family were saved by following God's instructions to build the ark.  Eight souls were spared this world wide destruction.  Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" because Noah chose to walk with God.  When everyone around Noah were traveling deeper into sin, Noah chose to stand upright and perfect in the sight of God.  Society did not dictate how Noah would live, but rather, God dictated how Noah would live.  The Christians at Philippi were instructed "that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."  Philippians 2:15.  Without the light of the righteous, the world is totally darkness.  The majority chose not to walk with God, but rather, they chose to walk with the devil.  Regardless of how dark the world becomes and how many souls travel the path of evil, we, like Noah of old, must walk with God.  Those who walk with God will be saved while the unrighteous will be destroyed.    

The Goodness of God

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  Psalms 27:13.  This land of the living is a land of sadness and darkness.  When we set our focus upon the physical about us, we can become overwhelmed and faint.  Our hearts can fail when the storms of life come upon us.  The knowledge of God's goodness will keep us from drowning in a sea of despair.  God's goodness gives strength to the fainting heart.  His goodness provides power and hope to deal and overcome.  The goodness of God can make us "more than conquerors through him that loved us."  Romans 8:37.  Those living in this present land need to fix our hearts upon God and wait for His goodness to come to us.  Let us not faint, but believe.

Amazing Grace

One of my favorite hymns is "Amazing Grace."  The hymn speaks of once lost and now found; once blind and now seeing.  Grace has delivered me and grace will see me home.  Indeed, the grace of God is amazing.  Grace was given and not deserved.  Grace was bestowed and not earned.  The Ephesian letter in chapter two speaks of "Amazing Grace."  God's verdict of sin was that we were dead, but now we are quickened.  Twas by grace that the transformation came.  Verses five and eight declare, "by grace ye are saved."  We were not saved by accident, but by grace.  We were not saved by merit, but by grace.  God is "the God of all grace."  I Peter 5:10.  Lives devastated by sin can be renewed by grace.  Hearts blackened by sin can be restored by grace.  Grace can take the broken life so marred by sin and return that life to a revived state.  God through His grace removes the flaws and scars that come by the avenue of sin, and comes to dwell within that renewed heart.  "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound."

In Everything Give Thanks

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  I Thessalonians 5:18.  God desires that we be thankful.  Gratitude is to forever flow from our hearts due to the vastness of God's blessings.  Even in trouble, we should feel God's benevolence.  God has permitted us to be His child and, therefore, we should praise Him.  Our requests of God should always be footnoted with thanksgiving.  God has given and continues to give.  We enjoy His grace through Jesus His Son.  Our hope transcends all hopes.  Our redemption has provided fellowship.  We have been cleansed and restored.  From heaven's throne, gifts continually flow.  Our lips are to give thanks unto Him.  Without Him, we are nothing.  Without Him, we cannot stand.  Physically and spiritually, God blesses.  The "Father of mercies" pours out upon us all the fruits that we enjoy. In return, we are to have a heart of thankfulness.  We, through our thanksgiving, understand the source of all blessings.  That source is God.  Give thanks.  

The Lord Is My Shepherd

One of the most beloved psalms begins, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."  Psalms 23:1.  What confidence has David in the Lord.  Should not all of us have the same trust in the Shepherd?  He had provided for David deliverance and protection.  In the threat of death, the Shepherd had provided for David.  In fleeing from enemies, the Shepherd had provided for David. The path in which the Shepherd leads is full and still.  A calmness of soul is offered by the Shepherd.  We are lead in the way of holiness and goodness.  We are removed from the vileness and defilement if we follow the steps of the Shepherd.  Even in the valley where death lurks, we know no fear.  Our Shepherd has conquered the grave and withdrawn the dread of death.  In the presence of our enemies, He anoints us with His oil of comfort and stability.  All of our days of wandering in this strange land, our Shepherd bestows His goodness and mercy.  Our Shepherd, the Lord, is with us and, yea, we shall be with Him forevermore.