Do You?

Do You?

by David Brenneman 

"The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. Do all the workers of wickedness not know, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the Lord?"

Psalms 14:1‭-‬4 NASB1995

When you look back over your day, your week, month, this year...would it reflect a heart that seeks after God?  "The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God."

Would Jesus find you as one who has? One who does?  Or would you be as one of those who does and has turned aside to your own way?

Would your life be an example of one growing in Christ or one feeding self instead?

We are to be His workmanship...meaning we are to be living a transformed life in Christ Jesus.  

Immersed in the things of God aren't entirely the right thing either...listening to God must be in the mix.  We can listen to Christian music, lectures, podcasts, watch videos, shoot off short prayers...but...are we actively listening for Jesus to speak to us?  

Throughout the Gospels we read of Jesus getting away to be alone with His Father.

How can we think we can do life in any less manner than the example of Jesus Christ given to us within those 4 Gospels?

We aren't empowered by the blood of Jesus Christ to go live life our own way. 

We aren't forgiven in Christ Jesus to go out and tempt ourselves or others.

We aren't to seek peace and rest from the world and only come to Christ for it when all else fails...yet that's what many people do.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20. 

Regardless of how long it takes, an infant is forced to learn from his or her parents on how to master the basics of eating.  Of other things too but at a minimum we're talking about eating.

In Christ we're to have a steady diet of the Scriptures.  We're to learn how to listen to the Spirit when He instructs us. 

A very big pet peeve of mine are those whom I am trying to teach something at work and a hand goes up usually followed by "I got this!" and I don't get to finish the lesson.

How do you make the Spirit feel when you rush out into your day throwing a hand up at Him, "Don't have time! I got this! Will call you if I need anything!"?

Our first thing after coming to Christ for salvation is the steps the Spirit has outlined in our growing in Christ to become conformed to the image of His Son Jesus.  Our sanctification, not necessarily our satisfaction, not necessarily our success on the world stage, not necessarily our personal happiness, but our sanctification. 

Really read the Gospels again.  

Read it carefully.  At no point do we see our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ ever NOT once taking the life He lived, the journey He took to the cross, seriously. 

We have four examples on purpose.

When we are living life to glorify ourselves, to get people to look at us, our actions, achievements, successes and they don't see Jesus, my Dear Reader, we have then lived a life that's wasted.

Seeking after Jesus...do you do it?

Seeking to understand God's word...do you pursue it?

Taking more than mere seconds or minutes in prayer...would that be true of you?  

We certainly do the Devil's work for him when we are living for self without his help.  When we don't make whatever is important to Jesus important to us.  When we won't fight for what the Spirit fights for.  When we are not fulfilling our calling in Christ Jesus. When we aren't trying our best to be that part of the body which the Spirit set us to be.

When we measure success as the world defines it...we are full on failures in life.

Read that again.

When we measure success as the world defines it...we are full on failures in life. 

God does not view success as the world does.  

"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,  and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”" 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

When we seek success as the world does...when make lives for ourselves that do not revolve around a right relationship with Jesus...we are only setting up idols to be worshiped rather than God..

We have read that Jesus says of Himself that He is jealous for you. His name is Jealous.  Read it for yourself. Exodus 34:14.

When you stand before Jesus someday soon...all your worldly successes will be burned up and will blow away.  Worthless and meaningless.  What you have done in your life for Christ, is the only thing that will survive that fire.

Are you regularly in the Word of God?

Are you at all striving after the things of God that matter to Him?

Are you spending time in prayer beyond just thanking God for your food?

Do you share what's on your mind and heart with Jesus on anything beyond a superficial level?

Are you one who seeks after God or not?

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. Lockman Foundation