You Have to Want It

February 19, 2021

Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:3-5 NLT

And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. Isaiah 45:3 NLT

Some people accept Christ as their Savior and then their lives over time become bright lights, consistently radiating the very best character and qualities. They continually share with gratitude what Jesus has done for them and are convinced that the best testimony they know anything about is the work Jesus has done in them. Their negative qualities disappear, their relationships thrive and grow, and even when life gives them the proverbial lemons, they seem to be able to make lemonade. People who know them will agree that they get better with time.

Then there’s another group. They “get saved,” but the most change you ever see is in the first months. The people closest to them don’t have many great stories to share about their life and witness, and their negative qualities remain strong. People are often not aware that they are believers because the strongest public evidence is just that they attend church. They are plagued with dissatisfaction and disappointment. 

What’s the difference? Does God love the first group more? Were they spiritually born with silver spoons in their mouths? 

No. The answer is very simple. You have to want it. Can you sense the urgency and passion in the Proverbs writer as he tells how to find the knowledge and wisdom of God? He says to cry out for insight and ask for understanding. Ask it about yourself. It is foolishly arrogant to claim that you know yourself without God’s specific and daily help. Jeremiah 17:9 says the human heart is more deceitful than anything else in creation. Ask for insight and understanding, and don’t do it casually. Seek them the way you would seek silver and treasure. God wants to give you and me the treasures of knowing Him intimately and becoming all He created us to be. He is calling you by name.

• Pray: God, I want insight and understanding about myself and my relationship with You. Help me where I am lacking in urgency and passion to be aware and choose to know and obey. Amen.