12.11.8 "Seek Me and Live"

"Seek Me and Live"

Amos 4:1-6:14
Revelation 2:18-3:6
Psalm 130:1-8
Proverbs 29:21-22

"The Lord says to the people of Israel, 'Seek me - and live. don't seek the idols of Bethel, Gilgal, or Beer-sheeba; for the people of Gilgal will be carried off to exile, and those of Bethel shall surely come to grief."

This portion of scripture may seem unassuming, but it was one of the most impacting scriptures in my Christian growth. It was 18 years ago. I was a student at North Central Bible College. (now NCU). It was a morning that I was going to skip chapel service because I was tired. For some reason, I ended up going, and the guest speaker was Pam Seward. She was a tiny lady who was (and still is, I believe) a missionary to the country of Nepal. She had an unbelievable testimony that I wish I had time to pass on to you. I feel like I just heard it yesterday. I truly believe that in heaven she will be mentioned in the ranks of those as the apostle Paul.

Beside Pam's incredible testimony, she challenged us with this scripture. The challenge rings true for all of us today. We need to seek God and Live!

Don't seek the idols of Bethel. Bethel represents the house of God. It's where Abraham built his second altar, it's where Jacob had his vision. How does that apply to us? We need to make sure that we seek God, and not "church". Your relationship with the Lord is not about the ritual of Christian actions. It's about seeking God. When you seek God, your commitment to church will be a natural result. The fruit of the healthy relationship is that commitment. But too often many try to make it "look" like the relationship is healthy by pursuing the busyness of the Christian life.

Don't seek the idols of Gilgal. Gilgal was the Israelites' first camping place after crossing the Jordan. It represents what God has done in the past. I'm sure everyone reading this DEVO has a testimony of what God has done. If we look back, there are great things that we can testify about. As great as those testimonies can be, our relationship with God can't be only about what he's done in the past. We can't be constantly looking back at the past hoping God will "do it again." We need to seek him for who he is.

Don't seek the idols of Beer-sheeba. Beer-sheeba is a place of promises. Abraham made an oath there. Our love for God can't be based only on what he has promised us. "ok, God, i'll serve you if you come through like you said you would..." God's promises are awesome, but we don't seek him for his hand. We need to seek his face. It's not about what he can do for us. It's about who he is.

You wanna live? Seek God.



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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