Seeking God

November 12, 2024

In his sermon in Acts chapter 17, Paul reveals some magnificent things about the true God of heaven to a group of Athenian philosophers who did not know God.  Paul tells them that God made the world and all things in it.  He tells them that God does not need to be served by humans as if He needed anything.  No, God is the one who serves mankind by giving us everything we need—life and breath and all things.  He tells them that it is God who made all mankind and determined where they would live.

But why has God been so kind and generous to all people in these ways?  This brings Paul to his central point.  He said it was so “that they would 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 NASB95) God has poured out His blessings on all so that we would seek Him!  What a profound truth it is that God wants all to search for Him, and He wants all to find Him!

And what a profound truth it is that God does require that we search, that we grope for Him, feeling our way toward Him to discover who He is.  God does not reveal the wonders of Himself to just anyone.  He only reveals Himself to those who will seek Him.  God has been very clear about this throughout scripture.  Take this verse, for example: “How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart.” (Psalm 119:2 NASB95) Or take the words of Jesus as another example: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 NASB95) Or consider this verse, where Paul explains that in Jesus “… are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3 NASB95) You see, the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge are not available to just anyone.  They are hidden in Christ.  God desires that we do some digging before He will allow access to these blessings. 

But the beautiful thing is that God will allow us to find Him.  He wants to be found.  He wants a relationship with you and me.  The question for us is, are we still searching for Him?  Even if we have already found Him, there is still more to be found.  We must continue to dig deeper to explore even more of the beauty and the delight that is found in God and in His beloved Son.  May God lead us ever deeper into Himself!    

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

He Who Comes to God Must…

November 22, 2022

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NAS95)

We need to clearly understand the message that it is impossible to please God without faith.  No one will be accepted by God without it.  We can multiply good works, but without faith, God will not be pleased.  We can have a great knowledge of His word, but without faith, God will not be pleased.  We can be very “religious” people, but if we don’t truly have faith, God will not be pleased with us. But what is faith? This verse gives us two essential elements of faith that must be understood if we want to come to God.

First, the one who comes to God must believe that He is.  We must believe that the God of the Bible exists.  Many will say that they believe God exists, but they go about their lives as if He does not.  It is not merely saying the words “I believe in God” but ordering your life in such a way that reflects your belief that He is real, He is present, and that He is all-powerful. 

Many people stop with this first condition of faith.  Believing that God exists is a necessary part of faith, but this alone is not sufficient.  The second thing that we must believe is that God rewards those who seek Him.  To be pleasing to God, we cannot think of Him as a distant, uninvolved God.  We must believe that He is actively involved in our lives, that He actively rewards those who will listen to His word and respond to it, and that He blesses those who will come hard after Him.  How are you doing with this?  Sometimes we carry on like God doesn’t see what’s going on in our lives, or that He doesn’t care, or that He is not able to help us.  Brothers and sisters, we need to trust in the promises of God and not waver in our belief that He will reward us!  This is the second essential element of faith, and without it, we cannot be pleasing to Him.

As you read through the rest of Hebrews chapter 11, you will see these conditions of faith played out again and again.  Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, all of these found favor from God because they believed that God is and that He rewards those who seek Him.  We too will find acceptance, favor, and reward from God if we will do the same.       

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin