What Does It Mean to Seek the Lord?
This is the title of John Piper's blog entry that he posted yesterday. The heading itself captured my attention because lately I have not done a good job at this. I have not been intentional about pursuing Christ and His will for my life...
God's presence is always with us - He is omnipresent and governs all things. He is present in His commitment to "always stand by us and work for us and turn everything for our good." So why do we even need to seek Him if He is already present? Because we get in the way. Piper says, "His face - the brightness of his personal character - is hidden behind the curtain of our carnal desires." Wow! So what does it mean to seek Him? Seeking the Lord is "the conscious fixing or focusing of our mind's attention and our heart's affection on God. Piper tells us that this is the OPPOSITE of mental coasting. "Seeking God is a direct choice to direct the heart towards God." We have to FLEE from the sin that blocks our view of God. We know what these things are, don't we? We are completely aware of the things in our lives that "dull us" and "blind us" and make us not even want to seek God in the first place. We all have issues that do this. But God tells us to FLEE. Not run... FLEE! Get Rid of them!
So, as we seek the Lord, we direct our hearts and minds towards Christ and we cry out to Him... we call and plead!! God promises that if we seek Him, He will be found. And ooh what a great reward there is in finding Him.
"O Lord, Open my eyes. Pull back the curtain of my own blindness. Reveal yourself. I long to see your face."
too see Piper's blog entry, visit www.desiringgod.org
God's presence is always with us - He is omnipresent and governs all things. He is present in His commitment to "always stand by us and work for us and turn everything for our good." So why do we even need to seek Him if He is already present? Because we get in the way. Piper says, "His face - the brightness of his personal character - is hidden behind the curtain of our carnal desires." Wow! So what does it mean to seek Him? Seeking the Lord is "the conscious fixing or focusing of our mind's attention and our heart's affection on God. Piper tells us that this is the OPPOSITE of mental coasting. "Seeking God is a direct choice to direct the heart towards God." We have to FLEE from the sin that blocks our view of God. We know what these things are, don't we? We are completely aware of the things in our lives that "dull us" and "blind us" and make us not even want to seek God in the first place. We all have issues that do this. But God tells us to FLEE. Not run... FLEE! Get Rid of them!
So, as we seek the Lord, we direct our hearts and minds towards Christ and we cry out to Him... we call and plead!! God promises that if we seek Him, He will be found. And ooh what a great reward there is in finding Him.
"O Lord, Open my eyes. Pull back the curtain of my own blindness. Reveal yourself. I long to see your face."
too see Piper's blog entry, visit www.desiringgod.org
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