Expert: Scott Talbot - 1/24/2005

Question
Scott,

What does it mean to truly seek after God?  
How can we know if we are truly seeking after God?  

What if you believe in the God of the Bible 100%. And you believe in all the faithful truths and laws but rarely spend time in the Word or in prayer?     

Thanks,
Rich


Answer
Hmm. Interesting question, Rich.

What better pursuit could there be than that of seeking after God!

Paul says it best in Philippians 3:10:  "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." His highest priority was to know Christ.

A. W. Tozer wrote a classic entitled, "The Pursuit of God," and followed it up with another entitled, "The Knowledge of the Holy." John MacArthur wrote, "The Ultimate Priority," an excellent book on knowing and worshipping God. I would recommend these books for further reading on this topic.

Knowing God should be a lifelong pursuit, beginning with the New Birth, and continuing throughout eternity. The more we grow to know and understand God, the greater will be our joy and reward, and the greater will be the glory He receives. Because God is infinite, our growing knowledge of Him will never cease. It will continue without end.

Progressing in this endeavor involves being proactive in our relationship with Him. Among other things, this requires time spent with God in prayer, and in the study and meditation of His Word. Without these things, we can pretend to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God, but that growth will be extremely limited. Knowing "about" God and His Word with getting to really KNOW God can lead to a superficial religiousity that can tend towards becoming dry, mechanical, and lifeless.

Scott