DRAW CLOSER TO GOD THIS YEAR
All spiritual blessings come from God, so we must ask Him for them. We have already seen that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, but that does not mean that we automatically experience these blessings. We must desire these blessings and seek God for them, both for ourselves and for all of God’s saints.
Jesus said (Matt. 5:6), “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Hunger and thirst are pretty strong desires! When a man is hungry or thirsty, he has only one thing on his mind, to find food and drink. He knows that he will die unless those needs are met soon. He is driven to satisfy those needs. That’s how we should seek to know God.
In Luke 10:21-22 we read of Jesus, “At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, ‘I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son will to reveal Him.’” Thus, if we want to know Him, we must lay aside all pride in our wisdom and intelligence and approach him as infants, in simple trust. We must ask Him to reveal Himself to us.
But there is more, if we want the Lord to disclose Himself to us. In John 14:21, Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will beloved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Maybe you’re thinking, “Doesn’t God love everyone unconditionally? Then why does Jesus say that He will love the one who obeys Him? That sounds like conditional love.” There is a general sense in which God loves the entire world and sent His Son, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:16). But, there is also a special, intimate love that is reserved for those who obey Him. It is only to those in this close, love-trust relationship, that He reveals more of Himself.
We understand this principle from our relationships. You only disclose your heart to those whom you trust. If you walk up to a stranger and start revealing personal matters, he will rightly think that you are weird. Intimate, personal disclosure is reserved for those we know well, who are trustworthy of that information. The same is true spiritually. As David wrote (Ps. 25:14), “The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant”.
Have a blessed Week
HAPPY FASTING SEASON!
