IS YOUR SEARCH LEADING YOU TOWARDS GOD?

On October 3 I posted a blog titled, WHAT ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR? With this question I started exploring the idea of what people are seeking and searching for in life. In my previous blog (October 5) I considered the question, WHERE IS YOUR SEARCH LEADING YOU? I think it’s a very good question because I believe there are many people who get caught up in life and don’t evaluate where they’re headed. The speed in which most of us live guarantees we won’t stop long enough to consider if the path we’re on is leading us to where God wants us to go. It’s like the pilot who spoke to his passengers, “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is we’re making record time. The bad news is we’re lost!” Ever feel like you’re on that pilot’s plane?

Today I want to continue on this theme of considering where our seeking and searching is leading us. Let’s start with another question: IS YOUR PATH LEADING YOU TOWARDS GOD? There’s a king whose story is told in 2 Chronicles 26, his name is Uzziah. Verse 10 says, “Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as the king sought the LORD, God gave him success.” (NLT) The Bible in Basic English verse 10 begins: “He gave himself to searching after God…” Do you see yourself as someone who is sincerely seeking and searching after God? I don’t mean just when you’re sitting in a worship gathering on Sunday mornings, or enjoying your daily devotional time with the Lord. No, I’m referring to ALL your decisions and the general direction of your life. The missionary Paul laid down this challenge in Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (NLT) In case you’re wondering, “whatever” means whatever.

 

So life was great for Uzziah as long as he “gave himself to searching after God” and lived with a fear [reverence; respect] of God. You’d think that with all of successes he was experiencing Uzziah would continue to seek God and fear God, yet we all know the sinful, fleshly part of us is strong. V16 reveals what happened: “But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the LORD his God by entering the sanctuary of the LORD's Temple and personally burning incense on the altar.”

A couple of things and a couple of questions:

Sadly, Uzziah’s story is one which is repeated with regularity. Uzziah’s success was directly connected to his diligent searching and seeking after God, yet when he allowed pride to rule his heart, he began to believe he was “the man.” The person who possesses a healthy fear of God will live with humility and become increasingly humbled as God gives them success. That’s the first thing. The second thing is Uzziah’s story underlies the importance of our heart for God. Deuteronomy 4:29 reads: “…if you search for (God) with all your heart and soul, you will find him.” (NLT) This leads to a couple of questions:

1 ~ Is your search leading you in God’s plan or are you still pretty much doing what you want without considering what God wants?

2 ~ Is seeking (see-king) and pleasing God the most important thing in your life?

To be continued…