"It Is Time To Seek The Lord . . .”

"It Is Time to Seek the Lord . . .”

A woman had two little boys who were driving her to the edge of despair. They were into everything, non-stop. And they were mischievous as well.

One day she decided to take them to her pastor. Maybe he could succeed where she had failed. The pastor wanted to see the older boy first. The younger one sat outside.

The older boy was frightened. The minister looked so austere in his black robe each Sunday. What would he be like one-on-one?

The minister, a kindly man, looked at the young fellow somberly, then asked, "Young man, where is God?" The boy had no idea what to say, so he sat in silence. The minister repeated the question, "Young man, where is God?" The boy still said nothing. The pastor thundered one last time, "Young man, I said, ’Where is God?’"

The boy jumped out of the chair, ran from the room, grabbed his little brother and raced from the church. He shouted, "Bobby, they’ve lost God and they’re trying to pin it on us!"

Sadly many souls have misplaced God in their life.

•C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity said:

“The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it.

It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.

And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.

•How and Why:

“Two words summarize the lives of most Americans – hurry and worry”

We have no hunger for God, not because he is unsavory, but because we “keep ourselves stuffed with other things”’

"Money . . . material . . . pleasure. . . . they’re not what’s going to make us completely happy.

They’re not real. They don’t last. There’s only one thing that lasts, and that’s your soul. And if you don’t work on that, and you don’t pay attention to that, then all the money in the world is not going to help you."

Seeking God, Finding God, and Discovering God is the greatest Adventure we can experience.

Scripture: Isaiah 55:6

"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."

Prayer

Empowerment comes only from actively seeking God

There is nothing more important than to seek Him, to call upon Him, and to draw close to Him in trust and love. Seek Him confidently

What do those words mean, to seek the Lord and to call upon Him?

This is not a call to a mere religious formalism.

It is not simply a call merely to seek religious notions, opinions.

This is not a call simply to attain religious philosophy.

It is not a call simply to seek morality, to find a good, moral, decent, upstanding life.

It is not a call to seek some kind of self-help religion,

It is not a call to some kind of feeling,

It is not a call to some kind of experience that comes over you and sends shivers down your spine and you cannot describe what it is.

But it is a call to seek God Himself, to have direct dealings with the Almighty, the Creator.

God addresses us in His Word, "Seek My face, call upon My name, come unto Me."

The urgency then is this.

Overcome the sin then of complacency. Oh,

Overcome the sin of self-sufficiency. Oh,

Overcome the sin of hiding from service,

Overcome Spiritual indifference,

Overcome spiritual apathy,

ILL: The company Microsoft has a slogan that asks, "Where do you want to go today?" It’s a good spiritual question to be asked of ourselves everyday. Deciding where you want go also decides what direction we want to go.

We determine how much God will use us by how much we seek God, and what direction we will follow.

Its time to seek God when: Spiritually malnourished

(These are easily recognizable signs)

It seems easier to hide than face life

You see life with gloom and doom instead enthusiasm

You have lost your strength

You have lost your Joy

You feel defeated

Your Christian life seems like a burden

Prayer seems like a chore

Bible reading is only an activity

Church attendance is in your way

Its time to seek God when: Spiritually Undisturbed

You are not seeking God, to yield to Him Hindering God himself by:

You are not answering Gods call.

You are not willing to improve, support, and actively make a difference

You are not moved by God’s Spirit to make a difference

You make excuses and hide behind them instead of facing responsibilities