From: "Gospel Messenger Service" Subject: Longing For God Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:50:16 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_000A_01C5442E.54CF8E00" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Unsent: 1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C5442E.54CF8E00 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable LONGING FOR GOD By Clinton White I was praying with a young man not long ago who desperately wanted help. = He turned his face up toward God and he sobbed out, "I=92ve tried = everything; oh God, help me. I want to be different; I feel so empty!" = That young man was uttering the hearts=92 cry of millions. If the = multitudes=97the great majority of people in the world today=97would = speak in one voice about their innermost hearts=92 desire, they would = cry out, "Oh God, I=92ve tried everything; please help me. I feel so = empty" That longing is the soul crying out for God. God made that soul to live = in His presence, to have communion with Him. The soul desperately wants = his God and makes this desire felt by a longing. But the natural man, = our physical nature, does not understand this. The flesh assumes that = this yearning, this craving, can be quenched by slaking one of its many = thirsts. So the individual is led on a fruitless search for satisfaction = in the fields of pride, avarice, sexual immorality, alcoholism or other = things. Striving for fame or fortune or merely trying to feel just = right, struggling to ease that ever present awareness that there must be = more to life than this. Something is missing. It is like trying to fill = a roaring furnace with dry sawdust. Most people don=92t realize that they have within themselves a lover=97a = lonely lover=97separated from his beloved and pining away with intense = longing. That lover is the soul, and it wants God. This soul is as much = a part of our natures as our bodies. If our bodies don=92t get food and = drink, they let us know about it with cravings. Our souls cry out for = God with hungerings and cravings. This is why a person can have the = highest education for his mind, the best care for his body, all physical = desires filled, all the money he needs, great fame for the ego, and he = still feels that something is missing. This is because he has actually = denied a part of his being, and the denial of that part of his nature = will create terrible conflicts that can bring him into frustration, dark = guilt, religious confusion, feelings of unworthiness, anxiety and many = other unpleasant states. Lives take a distorted pattern, personalities = are cramped, the individual is not complete, and something within him = knows it.=20 Come into the Bible with me now. Let=92s look at one example of a = longing soul. Some of you will see yourselves; you will say, "This is = what is happening to me." If so, give heed, because the answer is here, = too. A case history of a woman in the Bible trying to fulfill that longing, = yet directed by her carnal mind, is found in the fourth chapter of John. = This woman is a person whose life was in shambles. She=92d been married = five times and then went to live with a man who was not her husband. She = had tried to quench that inner longing with human love. But physical = love did not meet her spiritual demand. She was left empty and = unsatisfied. One day she went to the village well for water. Jesus was = waiting for her by that ancient well. It was no accident. He had = traveled many miles on foot just to be there when she came to fill her = water pot. He told her that she had been drinking of water which would = not satisfy. She would thirst again. But He was able to give her another = kind. Jesus said," "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him = shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him = a well of water springing up into everlasting life "(verse 14). He was = not speaking of H2O, He was talking about love. He was telling her that = the love she sought would never slake her thirst, but the love of God = would remain within her forever. In Romans, chapter five, the Bible = says, ". . . the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy = Spirit which is given unto us"; and in First John, chapter four, it = says, "God is love." Jesus was offering this woman the love of God for = the deepest part of her being. Rather than lecture her about her sin, He = offered to give her something better=97the very answer to her search. Whoever you are, however you are seeking to feed the hunger of your = heart, you will thirst again and again until you realize that this is a = spiritual desire and only God can satisfy it. Saint Augustine once said, = "You made us for yourself, oh God, and we have no rest until we rest in = Thee." Our natures demand love. Without it we are insecure, restless = people=97longing. But the Bible promises the peace of God which passes = all understanding (Phil.4:7). This comes when we receive the love of = God, the very essence of security. We receive this from the Prince of = Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. Solomon was the richest man of his time. He sought satisfaction in many = things. The Bible says he delved into God=92s creation; he studied = nature and tried to find himself there. He had seven hundred wives. He = had more material things than any man on earth. He tried to fill himself = with wisdom and he became the wisest man; his head was full, but his = heart still cried out for something more. He had worldwide fame=97men = paid homage to him; they came from the ends of the earth just to hear = him speak. But still something was missing in Solomon=92s life. He was = loved by people but he wanted to realize that he was loved by God. Then = he said, "I will seek him whom my soul loveth" (S.of S.3:2). This is = when Solomon found the way to true satisfaction. Your soul pines away for God. Nothing else will satisfy that longing. I = ask you now, Cease to deny a part of your very nature. Open the gates of = your life. Let the Lord come in. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life: he = that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall = never thirst. (Jn.6:35).=20 ------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C5442E.54CF8E00 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
LONGING FOR=20 GOD
 
By Clinton=20 White
 
I was = praying with a=20 young man not long ago who desperately wanted help. He turned his face = up toward=20 God and he sobbed out, "I=92ve tried everything; oh God, help me. I want = to be=20 different; I feel so empty!" That young man was uttering the hearts=92 = cry of=20 millions. If the multitudes=97the great majority of people in the world=20 today=97would speak in one voice about their innermost hearts=92 desire, = they would=20 cry out, "Oh God, I=92ve tried everything; please help me. I feel so=20 empty"
 
That = longing is the soul=20 crying out for God. God made that soul to live in His presence, to have=20 communion with Him. The soul desperately wants his God and makes this = desire=20 felt by a longing. But the natural man, our physical nature, does not = understand=20 this. The flesh assumes that this yearning, this craving, can be = quenched by=20 slaking one of its many thirsts. So the individual is led on a fruitless = search=20 for satisfaction in the fields of pride, avarice, sexual immorality, = alcoholism=20 or other things. Striving for fame or fortune or merely trying to feel = just=20 right, struggling to ease that ever present awareness that there must be = more to=20 life than this. Something is missing. It is like trying to fill a = roaring=20 furnace with dry sawdust.
 
Most people = don=92t realize=20 that they have within themselves a lover=97a lonely lover=97separated = from his=20 beloved and pining away with intense longing. That lover is the soul, = and it=20 wants God. This soul is as much a part of our natures as our bodies. If = our=20 bodies don=92t get food and drink, they let us know about it with = cravings. Our=20 souls cry out for God with hungerings and cravings. This is why a person = can=20 have the highest education for his mind, the best care for his body, all = physical desires filled, all the money he needs, great fame for the ego, = and he=20 still feels that something is missing. This is because he has actually = denied a=20 part of his being, and the denial of that part of his nature will create = terrible conflicts that can bring him into frustration, dark guilt, = religious=20 confusion, feelings of unworthiness, anxiety and many other unpleasant = states.=20 Lives take a distorted pattern, personalities are cramped, the = individual is not=20 complete, and something within him knows it.
 
Come into = the Bible with=20 me now. Let=92s look at one example of a longing soul. Some of you will = see=20 yourselves; you will say, "This is what is happening to me." If so, give = heed,=20 because the answer is here, too.
 
A case = history of a woman=20 in the Bible trying to fulfill that longing, yet directed by her carnal = mind, is=20 found in the fourth chapter of John. This woman is a person whose life = was in=20 shambles. She=92d been married five times and then went to live with a = man who was=20 not her husband. She had tried to quench that inner longing with human = love. But=20 physical love did not meet her spiritual demand. She was left empty and=20 unsatisfied. One day she went to the village well for water. Jesus was = waiting=20 for her by that ancient well. It was no accident. He had traveled many = miles on=20 foot just to be there when she came to fill her water pot. He told her = that she=20 had been drinking of water which would not satisfy. She would thirst = again. But=20 He was able to give her another kind.
 
Jesus = said," "But=20 whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never = thirst; but=20 the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water = springing up=20 into everlasting life "(verse 14). He was not speaking of H2O, He = was=20 talking about love. He was telling her that the love she sought would = never=20 slake her thirst, but the love of God would remain within her forever. = In=20 Romans, chapter five, the Bible says, ". . . the love of God is shed = abroad=20 in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us"; and in = First John,=20 chapter four, it says, "God is love." Jesus was offering this woman the love of = God for the=20 deepest part of her being. Rather than lecture her about her sin, He = offered to=20 give her something better=97the very answer to her search.
 
Whoever you = are, however=20 you are seeking to feed the hunger of your heart, you will thirst again = and=20 again until you realize that this is a spiritual desire and only God can = satisfy=20 it. Saint Augustine once said, "You made us for yourself, oh God, and we = have no=20 rest until we rest in Thee." Our natures demand love. Without it we are=20 insecure, restless people=97longing. But the Bible promises the peace of = God which=20 passes all understanding (Phil.4:7). This comes when we receive the love = of God,=20 the very essence of security. We receive this from the Prince of Peace, = the Lord=20 Jesus Christ.
 
Solomon was = the richest=20 man of his time. He sought satisfaction in many things. The Bible says = he delved=20 into God=92s creation; he studied nature and tried to find himself = there. He had=20 seven hundred wives. He had more material things than any man on earth. = He tried=20 to fill himself with wisdom and he became the wisest man; his head was = full, but=20 his heart still cried out for something more. He had worldwide = fame=97men paid=20 homage to him; they came from the ends of the earth just to hear him = speak. But=20 still something was missing in Solomon=92s life. He was loved by people = but he=20 wanted to realize that he was loved by God. Then he said, "I will = seek him=20 whom my soul loveth" (S.of S.3:2). This is when Solomon found the = way to=20 true satisfaction.
 
Your = soul pines=20 away for God. Nothing else will satisfy that longing. I ask you now, = Cease to=20 deny a part of your very nature. Open the gates of your life. Let the = Lord come=20 in. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall = never=20 hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. = (Jn.6:35).=20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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