God brought to my remembrance something today, that we will have to take a bit of trouble to enjoy the Lord’s beauty.
Someone said, “How is it, I have known the Lord so many years, but I don’t know Him any better than I used to?” I could not tell him.
Later I noticed Psalm 27, and was struck by the word seek. Also “The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” John the Baptist was thus taken up with the Lord.
If the Lord should ask the question, “What seek ye?” what would we answer Him? Would it be “To get on in the world”? Some could not honestly say, “I want to be near Thee.”
Mr. McIntosh had a large family. While sitting in his study one day, one of the children, a little tot, ran into his room and said: “Me want to be with you.”
I would know the Lord better if I had been seeking after Him. “Seek, and ye shall find.” To seek His beauty—out of this grows service.
I have found myself asking the Lord to help me to serve Him, instead of going after Him for His own sake (John 20:10-1710Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. 11But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:10‑17)).
Jesus said to Mary, “Whom seekest thou?” She gets into service after her seeking. She was not seeking for power for service, she wanted Himself.
May we learn to seek Him for His own sake. If the Lord does not satisfy our hearts, we will seek for something else.