March 16, 2004

Seek And You Will Find

If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will . . . find the knowledge of God. —Proverbs 2:4-5

Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 28-29; Mark 14:54-72

Justin Martyr was a second-century man who eagerly sought for truth. He read the Greek classical writers, examining and analyzing every philosophy from all sides. He sought insight, especially the answer to his longings for sexual purity. But every effort was in vain. He wrote, "All at last did faithless prove, and late or soon betrayed love."

One day, aimlessly wandering on the seashore, he met an elderly man who spoke to his heart as no one had ever spoken before. He pointed him to God through Jesus Christ, and in that simple witness Justin found the knowledge he had sought all his life—"the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:4-5).

Perhaps you, like Justin Martyr, are searching for insight, looking everywhere for the answer to your longing for truth. You've read widely and thought earnestly about life, but you can find no answers that satisfy the deep needs of your soul. If so, read the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament. As you read, cry out to God for understanding. He will hear you, and you too will find the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

God doesn't force truth on those who don't want it, but He hears the earnest cries of those who request it. As Jesus said, "Ask, and you will receive" (John 16:24). —David Roper

Look not to reason's arguments
If God you seek to find;
Look only to His holy Word,
For sin has made us blind. —D. De Haan

To find truth, look to Christ.