I am glad for the victories in my life. I am glad that God is good
and set me free from my sins but is it enough? Is it enough that I am Saved on
my way to heaven, is it enough that he has worked on m y heart and changed me?
Let me introduce you to some men that it wasn’t enough.
Enoch
And Enoch walked with God: and he was
not; for God took him.
Genesis 5:24
Do we understand that the God of heaven desires to walk with us? I remember when I was dating my wife. We would
go out and enjoy time together and as the love grew in our hearts for each
other so did the time spent together. One day I could no longer bear it, I
could not from the love I had for her stand to be apart any longer. I put a
ring in her finger and we were married. I see that same thing here in this
verse. Enoch walked with God to the point where they could no longer stand to
be apart any longer. Do we settle for some cheap imitation of this? God desires
to walk with us in the same manner.
Moses
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to
face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
Exodus 33:11
Oh I hope we don’t settle for less in our Christian life, God
wants to talk with us like a friend. The same God that spoke the Worlds in existence
that same lovely, awesome, gracious, mighty God wants to be my friend. He said
he would be that friend that sticks closer than a brother. Thank God I have a
friend when the fiercest storm arises I have a friend that the winds and waves
obey. When I am in the darkest night I have a friend who is the morning star.
When I am lost and can’t find my way I have a friend who is the light of the
world and he walks with me and talks with me.
Elijah
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon
the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and
strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but
the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but
the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but
the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
1 Kings 19:11-12
I wasn’t enough that Elijah had seen
victories, it wasn’t enough that he had been used as the mouth piece of God.
Here he was feeling all alone like that the world was against him, all he
longed for was a word from heaven a still small voice of the savior. Does it
not humble us to think that that very same God want to talk to us? He desires
to have deep communion with us and yet we neglect him. We start our day and
rush out to face our world and never pause to hear, never stop to consider that
there was a voice, the voice of the loving Father that wanted to speak to us.
Is it enough for us that we have victory and salvation, is it enough! I hope we
will understand this, it can’t be enough. The victory was just a piece he
desired to give us more, don’t settle don’t let it be enough.
Daniel
but the people that do know their God
shall be strong, and do exploits.
Daniel 11:32
Daniel was a gifted leader and
brilliant to the point he was desired by the king, placed in prominent position
because of his knowledge but that was not the knowledge he treasured that was
not the knowledge he longed for. Daniel longed to know God in a real and
intimate way, he didn’t settle for knowing cold theology even the scriptures he
longed to know God. We can perfect exegete the scriptures and miss the
knowledge of God, miss knowing him. If we miss him we have missed it all, he is
the supreme reward, he is the loftiest idea man can think, he is the great
treasure to be had, he is the greatest love to experience. Don’t let it be
enough to know about God, Go all the way and strive to know him.
David
From men which are thy hand, O
LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this
life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full
of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. As
for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I
awake, with thy likeness.
Psalms 17:14-15
The treasures of this world were not
enough they didn’t satisfy the longing of his heart. The only thing that could
satisfy was to be in his likeness. He desired to be like his father. I wish we
would desire to be like our father. We are so allured by the weak shallow attractions
of this world. How cheap we make God out to be. David goes on to describe his longing
in the following Psalms
One thing have I desired of the
LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the
days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his
temple.
Psalms 27:4
O God, thou art my God; early
will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
Psalms 63:1
I wish that was our craving, a craving
for the presence of God to not depart from him. If we could get to the point
where he was the only thing we desired.
Job
Though he slay me, yet will I trust in
him:
Job 13:15
Do we only trust God because of the good
things he does for us? Would we say our love for him is to the point that
though he stripped us of everything we own including our health, would God be
enough? I hope it is not enough for us to not feel like this
Christ
And in the morning, rising up a great
while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there
prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they
had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
Mark 1:35-37
Christ is busy everyone is looking for
him and there he is spending large amounts of time praying. Why? Did he need
direction? Was it Wisdom he needed? No! He had the very mind of God. Could I
offer another solution, could it be he just longed to spend time in the very presence
of his Father, He longed for the presence of God to be restored, to experience
him like he had before the flesh of his humanity had caused a fracture of his intimacy
with the Father. We can know him in great intimacy like he desires for us to
have with him but I am afraid we just satisfied with Salvation and a little
victory here and there.
Paul
That I may know him, and the power of
his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable
unto his death;
Philippians 3:10
Paul was a man who did great things in
the ministry but it wasn’t enough. He looked around and saw the people God had
used to touch but it wasn’t enough. He saw the churches God had planted through
him but again it wasn’t enough. Paul still longed for more he longed to know
him. He longed to know him more intimately then he knew him. I hope we
understand this, we are settling for so much less than what was intended for us
to have. God does want to just be satisfied with just salvation or with just
victory or this or that, he wants us to only be satisfied in him. He should be
all we need and all we desire.
How do we do this?
We must recognize that it takes an all-consuming
desire, to only be satisfied with Christ, to long for him like nothing else in
your life.
Present
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God.
Romans 12:1-2
He is calling us to present ourselves
to him fully detached from the world. To come with him with no strings attached,
to put us at his disposal to do with us as he sees fit. Until come to him like
this he will not use us! He is a jealous God and he will not compete with
anything in our life, he will have it all or nothing at all.
Seek
And ye shall seek me, and find me,
when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
He promises that if we will whole heartedly
seek for him and him alone he will be found. What could be a greater treasure
then that? He is the greatest thing to be desires, his presence is the greatest
thing to be sought after, He is the greatest reward in life
Obey
And we are his witnesses of these
things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that
obey him.
Acts 5:32
If are to know him in a great way then
we must be ready to obey him at any cost. He will bring his presence to those
who obey. Obedience is the greatest key to being intimate with the Father.
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