01 12 09 Seek God…Seek Others

“When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul…” (Jeremiah 29:13 NET)

“…For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10 NET)

Pastor Rick Warren writes: “Some of us hesitate to commit ourselves to developing an intentional plan of growth that requires accountability or relationship with others because we believe spiritual growth is a personal and private matter. We choose to believe each person develops in his or her own way at his or her own rate. This is an aberration from the truth. The idolatry of individualism has influenced even the way we think about spiritual growth. So much of the teaching on spiritual formation is self-centered and self-focused without any reference to our relationship to other Christians. This is completely unbiblical and ignores much of the New Testament. The truth is that Christians need relationships to grow. We don’t grow in isolation from others. We develop in the context of fellowship.” (The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional, January 12, 2009, © 2008 Purpose Driven Life.

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Oh how I am learning to lean on others as well as the Lord. There is nothing like Jesus with skin on, as they say. Jeremiah knew the pleasure of seeking the Lord’s presence, even in the darkest of days. Luke wrote that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We have to be intentional if we are to be one with the Spirit and thus one in His will to reach the lost with His comforting promises. It’s not about our comfort, but the knowledge of knowing His peace and sharing it with so many who have no clue. What we have in Christ needs to be put on the hills, up in lights, and all over the internet! We who know need to purposely seek those who are hurting and share His love. It’s not enough to have Jesus for ourselves; we need to share Christ deliberately!

“Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works. Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIrV)

In a day when the natural reaction is to shy away and retreat, we need to be sure not to give up meeting together, allowing others to see and experience the love of our dear Savior. Let’s cheer each other up. Let’s be a burst of energy to those in the faith who are a bit down. Let’s do it even more so as we see the days becoming more taxing and more demanding. Let’s be found working when Jesus returns and be sure to let others know before it’s too late. Let’s SEEK GOD throughout the day and SEEK OTHERS along the way!