He Seeks Us 5

Revelation 3:20

With jobs and church and family our lives can be fairly full. The days seem to fill with scheduled activities that don’t always leave room for the unexpected. Still, it is usually very nice and a fun little change in the routine to have an unexpected visitor stop by the house.

Unfortunately, there are times when we are far too busy to be able to spare the time required to visit with someone who drops by unannounced. When that happens we have to be blunt and explain that we just don’t have the time. We aren’t always ready to open the door for someone who comes to us.

We know that Jesus seeks us. He calls us into a relationship with him. But there is a unique feature to his approach. What does Jesus say about himself? What must we do for him?

This passage is very familiar to most people. It is so well known, in fact, that many churches have the familiar depiction of Jesus standing and knocking at a garden door, whether as a painting or stained glass. It is a comforting image, but there is an interesting aspect to it. If you look closely at these pictures you will notice that the door has no doorknob or handle by which it can be opened.

Jesus seeks us, but in his move toward us he goes only as far as the door of our hearts. He knocks on our lives and tries to get our attention. If he is to enter into a relationship with us then we must be the ones who open the door for him. Jesus is not an intruder. He is not an irresistible force that overwhelms us and controls us. Jesus simply offers himself to us. He knocks. We must open the door.

If we are willing to acknowledge Jesus we can open our hearts and our lives to his presence. We can invite Jesus to enter. He wants to enter. He desires that encounter with us. He wants to heal us and comfort us and feed us. But the relationship depends on us.

As we are assured that Jesus seeks us, we must consider what we will do to receive him.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you open the door for Jesus?

This is the last of our 10/2 Grow Daily Devotions for the spring of 2010. We pray that these have been helpful in building your faith. We plan to return on August 30, and we encourage you to invite others to sign up for the daily devotion this fall. May God bless you this summer. - Roger and Peggy Emerson

We Seek Him 5

Mark 3:31-35

During that stretch of years when the relatives in my generation were all getting married, my cousins and I would often joke around by declaring to one another, “Hey, after this wedding we’ll be related!” Well, of course we would be related after the wedding. We were related before the wedding.

The joking aside, people joining together in marriage not only create their own small family, they become a link between two larger families. In a sense these separate families are united and a new family emerges.

Jesus himself made reference to a new type of family relation during his ministry. Who has come to visit Jesus? What question did Jesus pose? What does he say of those who do God’s will?

We are looking forward to this coming Sunday when two adults will be joining the church as new members. Joining the church is a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ and a public commitment to becoming part of the church family. As members of a church family we have a shared claim on Jesus as our Savior, as well as a shared sense of caring for one another.

When we seek Jesus to have an encounter with him and enter into this relationship of faith, we are becoming part of a much larger group of people. We are becoming part of all those who have accepted Jesus. We are becoming part of all those who have believed and served the Lord in all the world.

As we seek Jesus and find him, we are changed. We are no longer alone, but united with the faithful across space and time. But there are some requirements that are expected of us. Just as joining the church is a declaration of the faithful behavior we will exhibit, declaring your belief in Christ is a commitment to doing the good work of God.

To be a brother or sister to Jesus we must not only seek him, we must do God’s will. And what is God’s will? In John 6:40 Jesus says, “my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life.” For us to do the will of God means that we will take part in helping others seek Jesus to have that relationship with him.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What do you do that makes you a brother or sister to Jesus?

We Seek Him 4

Luke 11:9-10

There was a time a few years back when our doorbell stopped working for some reason. We have since had it replaced, but when it wasn’t working it was not unusual for any one of us in the family to unexpectedly discover a person standing on our porch waiting patiently for someone to come to the door. If a person wanted our attention during that time they needed to knock.

Jesus gives some simple instruction and encouragement for anyone who would like to have an encounter with him. What three approaches are presented? What will happen if we do these things?

There are lots and lots of people who are either intimidated by the Bible because it is so complicated, or they are intrigued by the Bible because it is so mysterious. Many people view religion as a complex maze of secret words and mystifying rituals that somehow, if we do it right and we’re lucky, will connect us to God. But that is not true at all.

God is not hiding from us. Jesus is not a puzzle that must be figured out, and the Bible is not a code book.

Jesus wants us to have an encounter with him. God wants us to be in a relationship with Him. And to seek Jesus, to find God, we must do the simplest of tasks. We need to ask God to be in a relationship with us. We need to seek Jesus by trying to learn about who he is. We need to knock on the door of the Lord.

How do we do these things? To seek God you should be certain that you are attending worship as often as you can. You should read your Bible, even if it is just a verse or two a day (and since you are receiving the “10/2 Grow” you are doing that).

But simple prayer is the first step. If you truly want to be a Christian and you truly want Jesus in your life, all you need to do is pray to Jesus and invite him into your heart. Say, “Lord Jesus, I want you in my heart and my life.”

Pray it every morning for a few days and see if your attitude in life doesn’t change. I believe that Jesus will never turn away from us, so if you invite him in – really, honestly desire him to be with you – he will come into your life and that incredible, rewarding, fulfilling relationship will begin.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Are you ready to ask, seek and knock?

We Seek Him 3

Luke 18:18-22

I used to absolutely dread going to the Department of Motor Vehicles to have anything done. It seemed that every time I went I had to wait in line for nearly an hour only to get to the counter and learn that I did not have all the documents required. It can be frustrating to find out that you are not prepared for whatever it is you are planning to do.

Jesus encountered a rich man once. In the encounter Jesus had to let the man know that he wasn’t as ready as he thought he was. What question does the man ask? What “good things” does Jesus list as requirements? Where does the man stand as far as these commandments? What is he lacking?

If you continue reading this story you will find that the rich ruler, or rich young man, is unable to do all the things that Jesus has listed as requirements to inherit eternal life. When he first came we can imagine that he may have been feeling rather cocky. He already obeyed the Ten Commandments – no adultery, no murder, no stealing, and so on.

But Jesus adds one more thing as a requirement for eternal life. Give away everything.

This story is frequently used when talking about financial giving. I wonder, though, if Jesus’ response about selling everything was specific for that person. He was rich. What he lacked was the ability to give up his money.

I think the overall message of this encounter is not about money, but about commitment. If we will seek Jesus we must be committed to that encounter and that relationship. We can’t just go through the rituals of faith – I sit in a pew; I sing the hymns; I pray, therefore I am a good Christian. We must be completely committed.

The rich man claimed to be a good man and probably thought himself very devout. But really, how hard is not to steal, murder or commit adultery? His investment in his faith was minimal and superficial.

Jesus calls us to seek him, but we must seek him with conviction and with a whole-hearted attitude.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What must you “sell” so that you can seek after Jesus?

I Am Blessed 4

Luke 11:9-10

I will never forget the time we were all sitting at the dinner table enjoying a meal when I noticed our son was visibly upset. I asked what was wrong.

“I didn’t get any potatoes,” he said.

“Did you ask for them?” I wondered.

“No.”

The food was all there. My wife and I had prepared the meal and we wanted everyone to have all the food that was set out, but in that confused time of food being passed the potatoes had not made it all the way around the table. No one was hoarding them, and nothing was being denied anyone. My child just needed to ask for what he wanted.

What instructions does Jesus give? What are the results when we ask, seek or knock?

We may not have everything our hearts desire. We may not each possess the wealth and influence that some people have. But the blessings of a deep, rich relationship with God are available to all of us. There are times, however, when we need to seek them.

So often, people can look at life as being filled with blessings that are denied them. They may perceive that life is difficult and challenging because, for some reason, God is withholding blessings. But in truth, God wants to bless us. He wants us to have good things and goodness in our lives.

We need to be cautious so that we do not fall into the misconception that God is a magical being ready to dispense whatever we want. It would be selfish and erroneous for us to turn to God and treat him like a genie in a bottle – “Give me money.” “Give me power.” “Make me beautiful.”

Instead we should seek the blessings of God by seeking a right relationship with the Almighty. God indeed wishes to bless us. We must first see the blessings we have in our lives. Then we must seek the blessings that God wants to give us, realizing that these blessings may be different than what we may value from our human perspective, things that meet selfish drives.

The blessings from God are more appropriate and more wonderful than the materialistic blessings we may desire. We must seek them, ask for them, by striving to be obedient to God and by striving to grow stronger in our faith and our relationship with God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you ask, seek and knock with the goal of receiving God’s blessings?