2020-03-03
Psalm 27:8 NIV
In his book, Talking Dogs, Sam Mason discusses how God can use our pets to speak to us. Looking back on some dogs he has owned and the lessons he learned from them, he writes: “One such occasion was when Ranger, our eleven-pound Italian greyhound, was sitting on my lap as I relaxed in the recliner. I noticed that familiar, endearing little tilt of the head, as he looked me directly in the face. I found myself wondering what his purpose was. A second later, I warmed to the pleasure of divine inspiration, as the explanation flowed into my stream of thought. Ranger was seeking my face! You see, dogs become students of their owners. Their comprehension of spoken human language is limited to a handful of words. Their capacity to understand a creature of far greater intellect is restricted. So they study our movements: facial expressions, hand gestures, and other body language. Likewise, we have limited understanding of our Master. So how do we ‘seek the face’ of Someone who is so far our superior? The Lord reveals Himself through His Word. That’s where our pursuit begins. How sad that so few professing Christians read and study the Bible on any regular basis. But beyond the Scriptures, there are other ways to seek God’s face. Pay attention to the ways of God as the Holy Spirit moves upon your heart during church services. Learn from His interventions in your life and those of your fellow believers. Behind His works are His ways! Determine to become a student of the Master at every opportunity.”
Soul food: Gen 20-23; Matt 19:15-30; Ps 66:13-20; Prov 6:23-25
1 Peter 1:8 NLT
In yesterday’s reading, we explored what seeking God means. But it can seem really challenging to seek somebody we can’t see. How are we supposed to deepen our relationship with God when we can’t see Him? Peter said: ‘You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him.’ It’s possible to seek, love, and trust God without physically seeing Him. We can find out more about Him through reading the Bible, from looking at things He’s created, and listening to His voice in prayer. We can’t seek God without doing these things. We have to open our eyes up to see Him in the things and people around us. We also have to allow the Holy Spirit to show us more of God. It’s important to be disciplined. We need to be setting aside time to intentionally seek Him through reading the Bible, prayer, and times of silence. We might not feel like we’re getting closer to God, but that doesn’t mean we’re not. We can’t rely on our feelings. The Bible says: ‘The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him’ (Lamentation 3:25 NIV). God loves it when we make the choice to seek Him and discover more about Him. He wants us to discover just how good and loving He is. Seeking Him isn’t challenging, but it does require sacrifice. We need to put seeking Him at the top of our priority list. We can’t just do what we want, and expect to know more about Him. Jesus said: ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33 NIV). We have to set aside the other things we want to do, and focus on drawing close to Him.
Gen 24:1-25:18; Matt 20:1-16; Ps 70; Prov 6:26-28
2020-03-02
Psalm 27:8 NIV
What does it mean to seek God’s face? Firstly, the word for ‘face’ can also be translated as ‘presence’. So when we’re seeking God’s face, we’re seeking His presence. Spending time with God should be our desire. The psalmist wrote: ‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?’ (Psalm 42:1-2 NIV). The psalmist was desperate to spend time in God’s presence. But so often we can find ourselves preferring to do other things. We pass up time to read the Bible or pray, and decide to spend more time watching TV or chatting with friends. We wake up in the morning and head straight onto social media, rather than starting our day seeking His presence. Secondly, seeking His face can mean trying to understand more about Him and His character. However long we’ve been seeking God, there will always be more of Him to discover. We’ll never fully know Him until we’re in heaven where we can see Him face-to-face. Paul said: ‘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’ (1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV). We should never stop pursuing God. We should always be seeking Him. The Bible says: ‘Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always’ (1 Chronicles 16:11 NIV). When we seek Him wholeheartedly, we won’t be disappointed. God says: ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). Our seeking is never in vain. He promises that we’ll find Him.
Gen 20-23; Matt 19:15-30; Ps 66:13-20; Prov 6:23-25
2020-02-27
Psalm 119:130 NKJV
In December 2005, Brian Hardin says God told him to podcast the Bible. Hardin writes: “On New Year’s Eve when I read my first podcast…I said, ‘I’m Brian…I have no broadcast experience. I really don’t know what I’m doing, but I plan to read through the Bible this year. If you get this, here’s my email address.’ I expected about five people to sign up. On New Year’s Day 2006, I had 257 responses, and by June the daily audio Bible had been downloaded 200,000 times. Now, following our sixth anniversary, it’s been downloaded more than 51 million times and is still one of the top podcasts on iTunes. With more than 1.5 million downloads monthly, the daily audio Bible is one of the most listened to podcasts in the world. We’ve become a vast online family that prays and hears the Bible together. When somebody calls or goes into the online prayer line with a request, thousands of people pray for that person…We receive an endless stream of emails from disenfranchised believers who have found the place appealing…Separated couples who had nothing left to do but sign divorce papers…started listening to the Bible and found their marriages restored. I can tell you many stories of people who were hopeless – I mean suicidally hopeless – who found comfort in God’s Word and were restored. The Bible has a voice, and if given a chance to speak – in context – it will create amazing things in your heart. The Bible can transform even the most tangled life. I know. It radically changed mine.” Bottom line: Reading the Bible will change your life.
Soul food: Gen 10-12; Matt 18:10-20; Ps 58; Prov 6:12-15
Psalm 119:130 NCV
We all know that we should be reading our Bibles, but so often they’re left on the side gathering dust. We need to be opening our Bibles and spending regular time reading God’s Word. But why should we read it? Firstly, reading the Bible fills our minds with the truth about who we are, and who God is. The enemy and the world try and tell us things about ourselves which aren’t true. The only way we’ll be able to recognise and resist the lies is by knowing the truth found in the Bible. Secondly, the Bible contains the guidance and wisdom that we need to live our lives. When we read the Bible, we can find the answers to the questions we have. We might think it’s an outdated book, but in Hebrews we’re told that it ‘is alive and active’ (4:12 NIV). God speaks to us through it today. Thirdly, reading the Bible helps us to become more like Jesus. When we read about His life, we know how we should be living. God can use what we read to transform us. But it’s vital that we go beyond just reading the Bible. The psalmist wrote: ‘Learning your words gives wisdom and understanding.’ By memorising verses, we can fight back with Scripture when the enemy comes against us. We need to research what we’re reading, maybe by reading commentaries or finding books on the topic. We need to make sure we’re reading things in context, and not ignoring the verses or chapters that are more challenging to read and understand. The Bible says that all Scripture is useful (have a read of 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Then we need to put what we’ve read into action. We need to let God change us through what we’ve read.
Gen 10-12; Matt 18:10-20; Ps 58; Prov 6:12-15
