April 30

Seek ye the Lord. - Zephaniah 2:3.

OBSERVE four purposes for which we are to seek God, and which enter essentially into genuine religion. First, We are to seek to know him. Here religion begins. “This is life eternal to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” “I will give them,” says God, “a heart that they may know me.”

Secondly, We must seek to enjoy him. In order to this, we must be reconciled; till his anger is turned away from us, he cannot comfort us; till we are justified by faith, we cannot have peace with God; we cannot rejoice in Christ Jesus till we have received the atonement; and then we have boldness and access by the faith of him; then we can draw near to him as our exceeding joy; then our souls can be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness; in his favour we live, and his loving-kindness is better than life.

Thirdly, We are to seek to serve him. He is not only our portion to enjoy, but our master to obey and attend upon. “On thee,” says David, “do I wait all the day”- not only as an expectant to receive his supplies, but as a servant to receive and execute his orders, and to inquire, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” His service is perfect freedom; his work is honourable and glorious; his yoke is easy and his burden is light; and in keeping his commandments there is great reward.

Fourthly, We must seek to resemble him. It is the essence of religion to be like him whom we worship. We are to “showforth his praises” (in the margin, virtues) “who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.” God’s virtues are God’s perfections; and the best way in which we can show them forth is by following them and exemplying them. We cannot resemble his natural perfections; we cannot be Eternal, like him; Almighty, like him; Omniscient, or Omnipresent, like him: but we may resemble his moral attributes. In our measure and degree we may be holy, like him; do good, like him; forgive, like him; and therefore our Saviour says, “Be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful:” “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

And as we advance in this grace, and are “renewed after the image of Him who created us in righteousness and true holiness,” “we are changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.”