God Wants Us To Take Time To Discover Him

God wants us to take time to Discover Him

In times before this how was it that men discovered God and it changed their lives and also the lives of

those around them? Let us look as some examples. Isaiah spent a day in God’s house alone. For Daniel it was three weeks alone by a river. John was on the island for a season alone. Bunyan was in prison for years alone. Finney was alone for a day in the woods. It appears that no great growth in the blessing from God has come until people took time to be alone with God. We have been robbed of this in our day by the things we think have to take up our time. From the book “Overcoming Overload” comes three statements that we have come to believe are true. Lie #1 “You can have it all.” If that were true where would you put it all? How would you have enough time or energy to care for it all? How much would it cost and would you want to spend that much money on temporal things? Solomon said “All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them.” Imagine the time and money had to spend on birthdays for his seven hundred wives. Solomon had all he desired but was not satisfied. Lie #2 “You can do it all.” What do we commit ourselves to? We over commit our children. They have to spend up to 40 hours a week in school. Homework of 2-3 hours a night, piano lessons, soccer team (one game a week plus five practices). So they have no time just to play for the teachers and coaches put pressure on them to be the best. Now if you have more than one child, think of your schedule? You will have a hard time even to find time to eat together. How many responsibilities do you have? Now just add two more things and you would be over loaded. I am sure you have retired people say that they we not as busy when they were working. We can not do it all. Lie #3 “You deserve it all.” The story goes about an attorney who said a local charity had never received a donation from a most successful lawyer. The director called to get a contribution. “Our records show that you make $500,000 a year yet you have not given to us. Would you like to help the community?” “Have you checked my record? My mother is ill with medical bills many times her income. My brother is blind and unemployed. My sister’s husband died in and accident and left her penniless with three children.” “I had no idea.” “So if I don’t give to them why would I give to you?”

One voice tells us “Be sensuous; enjoy yourself.” Another, “Be resourceful; expand yourself.” Another, “Be satisfied; please yourself.” Another “Be confident; fulfill yourself.” Another, “Be superior; promote yourself.” Another “Be capable; believe in yourself.” God says, “Be wise; humble yourself.”

We need to spend time alone with God for it says of Jesus “He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. If we are wanting for God to be active and real in our lives we can not just lean back in our chairs with a smile and think about God.

If you are like me you are concerned about the holiness of God. When I became a Christian the church was called The Pilgrim Holiness Church. In 1968 they took out the holiness and we changed to The Wesleyan Church. I have wondered why they took holiness out of our name. Could it be that holiness does not mean what it used to or that we do not like the demands it would place on us to live holy lives because it is part of our church name?

When we pause to think about the attributes of God they could be likened to the spokes on a wheel and the hub would be holiness that brings them all together. There are many who love to dwell on the spokes that express God’s love, mercy, grace, goodness, kindness and even His wrath.

Isaiah 6:1-8

We are looking back to a time when there was great distress for God’s people. There was a mighty king in Assyria who was coming and taking one city after another drawing closer to Jerusalem and it seems there was no one to stop him. Isaiah went to God’s house to pray to ask Him to step in to help. While he was praying all of heaven opened up and he saw God high and lifted up. (KJV) With all the turmoil on earth Isaiah saw that in heaven there was calmness. He did not see the forces of heaven all upset and ready to throw down lightening and thunder upon the earth to fix the problem of men. He saw creatures worshiping God and it seemed nothing else mattered. In heaven they knew the importance of worshiping God.