"Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ´For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. 'For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.'"
Isaiah 55:6-11
Our God teaches us something about the nature of His Word by using an illustration of how the rain brings a good harvest. Farmers know very well that their crops need the nourishing rain if they are going to survive and thrive. With this illustration, God is showing us the need to listen to His Word that we may grow and bear good fruit. God wants us to thirst for the living water, which is His Word that makes us bear righteous fruit. Let us explore what this figure implies about the Word of God.
His Word sanctifies us and makes us pure. As essential as light is for abundant life, so is the Word of God in our lives. Our God wants us to walk in the light of His Word. "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). This is why He sent His only begotten Son so that He might bring light and new life to us. God provides everything that we need through His everlasting Word to feed us with righteousness, but we must allow His righteous Word to speak to us and guide us. When we humbly seek Him and surrender to His will, we will find favor in His sight. God is Holy and demands that we be holy. God's ways and thoughts are not like ours. Thus we must learn to be like Him to be partakers of His divine nature.
So my question is, how can we find God? By simply seeking God's invitation diligently without resisting it and by wanting to know God and do His will.
Let us consider some thoughts about God's pardon and favor toward us when we are seeking Him:
- God offers us salvation by inviting us to come and partake of His gift at no cost to us since His Son has already paid the ransom for us. This free gift is called Grace. Jesus already purchased us by His blood. Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:44). Notice that this invitation of pardon that the Father is offering to us is through His everlasting Word. The only way His Grace can reach us is if we accept His invitation, His free gift, which is offered to us through the Gospel.
- God's pardon, Grace, carries conditions that we must meet. These conditions are vital to obtaining such Grace or pardon. Consider these conditions:
- Hear the Gospel, Acts 11:14; James 1:21;I Cor. 1:18-21; 15:2; 2 Timothy 3:15; 2 Peter 2:20
- Believe the Gospel, Romans 1:16; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9
- Repent of sins, Acts 5:31; 2 Cor. 7:10
- Confess Jesus as Lord, Romans 10:9-10
- Be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, Mark 16:15,16; I Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3 and Acts 2:38
- Live a faithful life unto death, Matthew 10:22; Acts 2:47; Eph.1:13; 5:23,25; 2 Thess. 2:10,13; Heb. 10:39; I Cor. 1:21; 15:2ff; I Tim. 4:16; Tit. 3:5; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 8:11-12; Romans 2:5-8; Rev. 2:10; 21:7, 8; 22:12.
His Grace will be secured when we meet all of His conditions or requirements. Thanks be to God for His indescribable Grace!
God calls us through His everlasting Word to a cleansing of our mind and heart. What that means is that we must be willing to put away all sin, turning our hearts to Him. His Word is alive and can penetrate the soul and the spirit, changing our way of thinking and the intentions of our hearts into righteousness. The Word can cleanse the hearts of all men, bringing them into newness of life, but man must humbly accept the remedy for the illness of the heart called sin.
God's ways and thoughts are not like ours, although we are made in His image. If we have been forgiven and have received pardon and Grace, our hope must be to become like Him, holy. To know Him and be like Him, we must allow the Word to restore our souls to its rightful state. God's Word endlessly transforms us. God's everlasting Word does not return to Him void. His Word regenerates us according to the character of God. Our transformation or the renewing of our mind and soul is like a metamorphosis. His Word gives us excellence. And this excellency of His Holy Word is seen in us as we abide in it and obey it.
The Word of God offers us many benefits such a peace, freedom, trust, purity, love, joy, and hope. But we must love it and let it bear good fruit in our hearts. If we use God's Word, according to His will, it can prosper us and make us rich. God's Word will not return to Him void.
CONCLUSION:
Let us show a heart that diligently seeks after God. God is near to those who are seeking Him from their heart. He will not let them down. Let us take advantage of God's invitation and take freely from the river of the water of life. Let us eat freely of the tree of life which is offered to those who want to wash their robes and enter the gates of the city, the heavenly Jerusalem, His church.
"Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." Revelation 22:1-5
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. Revelation 22:17
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son." Revelation 21:6-7
May the Lord help us to faithfully present His Holy Word to this lost and dying world that they may know the peace and freedom that we have come to know through that Everlasting Word.
Luci
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