|
« TAP TO LOG IN
|
Play online chess!
Seek and ye shall find. Then keep on seeking!
« Back to club forum| From | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
 Seek and ye shall find. Then keep on seeking!Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But it isn’t. But the same guy who said that also said “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matt. 10:22) and “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matt. 16:24) He meant that ‘He who CONTINUES to ask will receive; he who CONTINUES to seek will find; he who CONTINUES to knock will have the door opened.’ But it is not for the faint-hearted. Consider a student who thinks “I’d like to do a doctorate, but not so it interferes with the rest of my life. I still want to play sports, get a job, get married, have holidays, and all the rest.”. That student will not finish his doctorate. Consider a marathon runner who thinks “I’ll sleep in when it’s too cold outside. I won’t run if it’s too hot. I’ll eat and drink whatever I want.” That runner won’t win Olympic gold. The ‘seeking’ that Jesus is talking about isn’t a part-time project, or an intellectual diversion. It is about an existential commitment. As Jesus says in another place, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30) Which is why most people don’t bust their bodies to become top athletes. Why so most people don’t spend ten years to earn doctorates. Why so many people live in survivable poverty instead of taking a risky migration for the hope of prosperity. But I don’t want to discourage you too much! There’s a big difference between the athlete that might miss winning gold, and those who commit to following Christ. We know that we are on a sure thing! As Paul says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There’s the need for courage. That’s not only the courage to hold on during the hard times; it’s also the courage to push forward during the good times, rather than being complacent. A marathon runner who trains hard enough to finish a marathon doesn’t say to himself, “I’m fit now! I don’t need to push myself any harder.” No, that runner will push even harder than ever; to not just finish but to win. If you listen to athletes who win, you will hear them compare their times NOT to other athletes, but to their own Personal Best. Their aim is not to be better than the others, but better than what they currently are themselves. I find this sometimes with some Christians. They know Jesus, and they rely on him. That’s good! That’s all they need! But it’s NOT all that they can have. So another form of ‘seeking’ is to grow in understanding. Certainly a child’s faith is enough. But a mature faith is better! Yet, I have met some who deliberately avoid the hard questions in our faith, because they are afraid that they might be overcome by doubt. Some Christians won’t attend university, even though they are more than capable, because the atmosphere at university is seen as a threat to their faith. I see this avoidance not as an act of safeguarding their faith, but as a refusal to grow in faith. Don’t they believe they are safe in Jesus? So they should be prepared to hear what the world says against their faith! And if the world’s critique has shown a weakness in what is believed, they shouldn’t cling even more desperately onto what has been shown to be inadequate. Instead, that should be seen as a learning experience! Their understanding of the faith needs to be improved! They should be prepared to leave a childish idea behind and adopt a more mature idea. This often means stepping out of their comfort zone, so many pull back. It’s hard to let go of the known, the familiar, the trusted. There is always the fear of the unknown in the dark corners! Like a child losing a loved toy, first comes the loss. Only later is the new seen as an improvement. As Paul tells the Corinthians, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” So don’t pull back in fear; continue seeking! Here is a song that is so terribly 1970’s, but it captures what I’m trying to say:- www.youtube.com |
||
|
|
