Seeking Glory

And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me,

 hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither 

heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape. 

And ye have not His word abiding in you:

 for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not. 

Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think 

ye have eternal life: and they are they which 

testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, 

that ye might have life. I receive not honor 

from men. But I know you, that ye have not 

the love of God in you. I am come in My Father's 

name, and ye receive Me not: if another 

shall come in his own name ye will receive. 

How can ye believe, which receive honor 

one of another, and seek not the honor that 

cometh from God only? 

John 5:37-44

     The words of Jesus ring out clear and in truth; people will listen to others, especially those who speak eloquently. It is easier to hear what you want to hear than to hear words that just might make you think about your relationship with Jesus Christ. People find all sorts of things to do that seem godly, even pious, but will often, if ever, speak about the Gospel, how to live according to Scripture. Men love to be honored. People seek celebrity status, to have men honor them, and in some sense that is not bad, but, if this desire to be honored by men overrides your seeking the honor of God, then you have not received Jesus Christ as your Savior. Yes, the words of Jesus are harsh, hard to accept, hard to apply in our lives and due to this seemingly hardness people turn to an easier form of worship. 

     A hallmark of Authentic Christian Faith is that one who claims that faith wants to know God and will want to know as much as he/she can of what is in the Bible. To not follow the Bible, its commands, its precepts, is to be defiant, not against man, but against God. The written word of God does not lead to acceptance of this worlds culture, to cause one to become a cultural, or even a liberal Christian. The Bible leads to a living Savior and changes our attitudes to Him and aids us in effectively choosing our destiny. To read and attend to the Bible and to learn from the Bible shows the way to serve Him and to receive Him, allowing Jesus to be our Master and in this, when a person finds Jesus Christ, they find life. 

     The best this world can offer is only "good." This worldly "good" is flawed and the fundamental problems still exist so the world's "good" cannot fix the problem. This is true because  the motivation for life is man-centered instead of God-centered. Here is an important point: Goodness is no substitute for devotion. Somehow we miss the point: Goodness culturally in its defined forms, can exist where the love of God and passion for Him does not exist. The world speaks of "ying and yang," a way to balance the scales as though God has a set of scales to measure our efforts in the areas of "good." Here is how this works in the world: if the "good" out weighs the "bad" then the former actions are assumed to righteous. This is not the Gospel, and this is not found in Scripture. To have this worldly, or cultural belief will lead to a false sense of confidence, a by product of faulty thinking and shows a lack of understanding of what the Bible teaches. 

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God,

     that I will send a famine in the land, not

a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,

     but of hearing the words of the Lord.

And they shall run from sea to sea, and from

    the north even to the east; they shall run

to and fro to seek the word of the Lord,

    and not find it.

                     Amos 8:11-12

Seek the glory of God: not man

Richard L. Crumb