Pastor Jacky Duncan writes Christian articles for a local newspaper. These articles boldly confront some of the tough issues facing the modern church. Click on The Paper Pulpit Series link to view articles online or order reprints of these thought-provoking articles. Below is a past article. For the latest article click here.
One Thing I Ask, This I Seek
(Make A New Year’s Resolution To Get To Know Jesus)
It’s traditional at this time of year to make New Year’s Resolutions and consider our hopes and dreams for the coming year. Some of us think about the past year and the things we’d like to improve on this year. Some of us look ahead at what we can accomplish and set goals to achieve.
But while we’re in a reflective and planning mode it is a good time to take stock of our spiritual life. Have you ever noticed how much thought and effort we put into the physical aspects of life, and how little we invest in the spiritual? Some of us plan our lives days, weeks, months or even years in advance. Everyday we all think about the things we have to do that day and how we may accomplish them. We worry, plan and strategize to make the most of this life, while expecting our spiritual life just to happen. Our actions show that we value the temporal more than we value the eternal. In evaluating yourself, consider the following questions.
If you could ask only one thing of God with assurance He would grant your request, what would it be? Would it be some material possession, or perhaps a change in your circumstances? Would you ask for wealth or long life? Would you ask for healing of some health problem? Would you ask for wisdom as King Solomon did? What do you think would give you the most pleasure, fulfillment and satisfaction you could ever expect?
As a child of God, there’s only one thing that can ever truly satisfy, and that is to know God and to live in His presence. Anything else we might ask for would only bring partial and temporary gratification. But to know our Maker and live in the presence of His beauty—this was His purpose for creating us. Whatever else we may ask or desire is fully met in Him.
Our natural mind has difficulty believing this because we are so used to receiving all our joy, pleasure and fulfillment from physical things and circumstances. We measure our happiness by the things we possess, the things we get to do, and the condition of our lives, rather than by the depth of our relationship with the Living God.
To know God as our Father is to possess everything. God owns everything in all of creation. He has infinite power and sovereignty over everything that exists. He is kind, loving, merciful, compassionate and generous to those who love Him. But why settle for a mere gift when we can have the Giver? Besides, I highly doubt that God is pleased with our viewing Him as merely a means to obtain what we want. If you have children, don’t you want them to love you rather than just what you can do for them?
The wisest and wealthiest man who ever lived, King Solomon, discovered that true joy and peace are not found in the pleasures of this life. He denied himself nothing that money and prestige could buy, only to find it all “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” He gave his conclusion to the matter in Eccl. 12:13, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” If you haven’t read the book of Ecclesiastes lately, may I suggest you do so soon?
Money, health, popularity, worldly peace and pleasures—even good friends and family—will never satisfy the thirsty soul of a truly born again child of God.
Our brother, King David came to understand this blessed truth and it became the longing of his heart to know God and live in His presence. Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”
David saw that no earthly possession, power or pleasure could even begin to compare with the delight of dwelling in the presence of his Lord and Maker. He therefore sought the Lord with all his heart.
We must not fool ourselves into thinking we already have this. I’m not talking about making a profession of faith. Neither am I talking about religious activity inside or outside of the church. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day made this same mistake. God says of such, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” (Matt. 5:8-9)
I’m not saying that we don’t need to be in church attendance and involved in the work of God, because we do. This is our duty to the Master, and His children find pleasure in doing His will and in corporate worship with the body of Christ. But the point is that we must be sure that we have a genuine relationship with Jesus and not simply with religion.
Jesus said, in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Since knowing God is eternal life then, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26)
How well do you really know Jesus personally? Can you honestly say that He is the one thing you seek? This year consider making a real resolution—to get to know the living God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
