New Teaching Audio: Seeking the Lord

I finally got my wireless lapel mic fixed. So, now we are back to recording the teaching in our fellowship. You can listen to it in or download it from the teaching audio tool in the sidebar.

On Sunday, we discussed how important it is to seek the Lord, why we don’t, and how to do it. Here are the main ideas:

1. When we seek the Lord, our relationship to God is the most important thing (Psalm 32:8-9; James 4:4-10).

2. When we seek the Lord, we will spend time in prayer.

3. When we seek the Lord, we will wait on him to act, provide, and lead (Psalm 33:20).

Balance

“Balance is taking one strong biblical truth and letting it operate in tension with other biblical truths.”

- George Verwer

Made for God

“The thought of you stirs [man] so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”

- Augustine, Confessions 1.1

Resolve to Follow Jesus

“If anyone would come after me . . .” (Mark 8:34)

The word translated “would” in the ESV is thelo, which could mean to desire or to purpose. This second meaining could be defined like this: “to have something in mind for oneself, of purpose, resolve, will, wish, want, be ready” (BDAG, 448).  Based on the context and commitment of the call, “purpose” would certainly be appropriate, if not the necessary meaning. Thus, “if anyone purposes or resolves to follow after me . . .”

Jesus is establishing that following him is a pretty serious endeavor. The first condition is that one desires and purposes to follow him. We all struggle with conflicting desires and we must decide what we want the most. We can be a friend of the world or a friend of God, not both. We can love and serve God or we can love and serve ourselves, not both. We have to make a choice. We can resolve to follow Jesus.

I pray for a great passion to follow Christ. A great fire in my heart that is greater than my desires for fleshly satisfaction. I renew my commitment today to follow Jesus. I purpose again today, with even greater understanding than when I first decided to give him my life, to follow him to the end, no matter what the cost.

Trust the Strategy to the Commander

“Cloud of battle-dust inevitably dims the overall picture of the campaign. The individual soldier must just trust the strategy to his commander and obey the orders given to him personally. In the spiritual realm the same is true of the disciples (soldiers) of Christ. But when the battle is over and the dust has settled, what has happened and the reason for certain orders will become apparent to even the common soldier. In that day ye shall ask me nothing.”
- Isobel Kuhn, Green Leaf in Drought