Do All "Seekers" Find God?
Brad Reiches
Sep 11 2006 11:54PM
Brad Reiches
Sep 11 2006 11:54PM
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Tuesday, September 12, 2006
GodThoughtsWired!
GodThoughtsWired!
"Do All 'Seekers' Find God?"
"You will seek Me, and will not find Me;
and where I am you cannot come."
"You will seek Me, and will not find Me;
and where I am you cannot come."
John 7:34 (bold mine)
Fortunately for us, these words of Jesus were spoken within a specific context that does not directly apply to us. Nonetheless, it brings to mind a question: "Do all who seek God find Him no matter what?" What does the Bible actually say about..."Seeking God?"
Here's what we know:
Here's what we know:
"You will seek Me and find Me when you search
for Me with all your heart...The Lord is with you
when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He
will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him,
He will forsake you...You will find Him if you
search for Him with all your heart and all your soul."
Jeremiah 29:13; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Deuteronomy 4:29 (bold mine)
Praise the Lord, God is NOT hiding from us. He has NOT made it difficult for us to "find" Him. Indeed, He is a "rewarder of those who seek Him" (see Hebrews 11:6). The question remains, however, "To what degree must we seek Him in order to find Him?"
Although 2 Chronicles 15:2 gives us no additional clarification, Jeremiah 29:13 reveals that it is those who seek God "with all your heart" that find Him. Similarly, Deuteronomy 4:29 idicates that all seekers DO NOT FIND HIM. Only those who "search for Him with all your heart and all your soul."
Indeed, a deeper study on this subject of "seeking God" reveals that a successful quest to find God is conditional. The heart of the "seeker" must be sincere, diligent, and wholehearted. Scripture is clear that a half-hearted pursuit will not win the prize. "For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:7-8).
Although 2 Chronicles 15:2 gives us no additional clarification, Jeremiah 29:13 reveals that it is those who seek God "with all your heart" that find Him. Similarly, Deuteronomy 4:29 idicates that all seekers DO NOT FIND HIM. Only those who "search for Him with all your heart and all your soul."
Indeed, a deeper study on this subject of "seeking God" reveals that a successful quest to find God is conditional. The heart of the "seeker" must be sincere, diligent, and wholehearted. Scripture is clear that a half-hearted pursuit will not win the prize. "For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:7-8).
Hosea 5:6 gives us additional clarification,
"They will go with their flocks and herds
to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him;
He has withdrawn from them."
(bold mine)
to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him;
He has withdrawn from them."
(bold mine)
Who are the "they" that will not find God? Those who are walking in known, willful, rebellion (see context, Hosea, chapter 5). "You will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29, bold mine).
I'd say...that's a pretty big "if!"
I'd say...that's a pretty big "if!"
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