HAPPINESS IN KNOWING WE NEED GOD
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:3, R.S.V.
How much better to seek the Giver of salvation than to seek the gift! If you had a generous, rich uncle, would you value the uncle himself more than his fortunes? For without the character quality of generosity, his fortunes would be of no benefit. It would be narrow to value only his fortunes when the greatest of his gifts is fellowship with himself.
The New English Bible puts today's text this way: "Blest are those who know their need of God." Their need of God; I like that. So often we become consumed with all the things we need from God: forgiveness, pardon, healing, and so on. We spend our spiritual lives seeking these things from Him.
When you receive a gift it can make you feel uncomfortably obligated. Is that God's way of gaining our servitude? If God were to use His love as a means of obligating us, then to see the full meaning of the cross would crush us. It is no wonder that so many Christians are somber. They feel the conflicting emotions of gratitude and entrapment. On one hand, they know that they should be eternally thankful for the gift of eternal life, yet they feel somewhat horror-stricken at the thought of meeting God face-to-face, unsure if they've fully met the obligations imposed by this gift.
Likewise, how much better it is to know that God is a forgiver by nature than to seek forgiveness itself? If forgiveness were not a very part of the character of God, we might expect to encounter situations in which He would not forgive. If examined more closely, what appears at times to be His unwillingness to forgive would reveal the fact that He was no longer being sought as a forgiver.
God has given Himself and all that He is to us, as exemplified in the giving of His Son. True and lasting happiness comes when we realize that, in giving Himself, He gave us everything we could ever need or want. If the King is ours, so is His kingdom. If the Forgiver is ours, so is His forgiveness. "And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3, R.S.V.).
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:3, R.S.V.
How much better to seek the Giver of salvation than to seek the gift! If you had a generous, rich uncle, would you value the uncle himself more than his fortunes? For without the character quality of generosity, his fortunes would be of no benefit. It would be narrow to value only his fortunes when the greatest of his gifts is fellowship with himself.
The New English Bible puts today's text this way: "Blest are those who know their need of God." Their need of God; I like that. So often we become consumed with all the things we need from God: forgiveness, pardon, healing, and so on. We spend our spiritual lives seeking these things from Him.
When you receive a gift it can make you feel uncomfortably obligated. Is that God's way of gaining our servitude? If God were to use His love as a means of obligating us, then to see the full meaning of the cross would crush us. It is no wonder that so many Christians are somber. They feel the conflicting emotions of gratitude and entrapment. On one hand, they know that they should be eternally thankful for the gift of eternal life, yet they feel somewhat horror-stricken at the thought of meeting God face-to-face, unsure if they've fully met the obligations imposed by this gift.
Likewise, how much better it is to know that God is a forgiver by nature than to seek forgiveness itself? If forgiveness were not a very part of the character of God, we might expect to encounter situations in which He would not forgive. If examined more closely, what appears at times to be His unwillingness to forgive would reveal the fact that He was no longer being sought as a forgiver.
God has given Himself and all that He is to us, as exemplified in the giving of His Son. True and lasting happiness comes when we realize that, in giving Himself, He gave us everything we could ever need or want. If the King is ours, so is His kingdom. If the Forgiver is ours, so is His forgiveness. "And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3, R.S.V.).
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