When a friend of mine told me the other day that her husband had begun getting up extra early in the morning to watch his favorite Bible teacher on television, it warmed my heart. I immediately thought to myself, "Now there's a man the Lord can really bless!" I confess that I'm amazed at how many believers seem satisfied with making half-hearted attempts to know God. I've actually heard some of them say, "I used to watch my favorite Bible teacher on TV regularly, but since his program got changed to another time, I just can't be bothered." When I remind them that they own a device that could easily record the program to watch at a more convenient time, they make some feeble excuse such as, "Oh, I don't know how to use that silly thing!" It never occurred to them that if they prayed for the Lord's help in the matter, He would provide the perfect person to show them how to use the device, so that He would have another avenue He could instruct and bless them through.

The Bible says: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) Why aren't more Christians reaping more of the rewards that God's Word promises? Because they aren't "diligently" seeking Him, the way that He desires and requires. The word "diligent" means, "Marked by persevering, painstaking effort". How many believers do you see taking great pains to seek the Lord's will and ways? The Scripture says: "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Hebrews 6:12 NIV) We have become what one translation of this verse calls "spiritual sluggards" (AMP), who are not exercising the faith and patience needed to lay hold of God's promises, and impact a dying world.

Jesus said, "The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you - and more [besides] will be given to you who hear." (Mark 4:24-25 AMP) Why should the Lord impart to us valuable, life-changing revelation from heaven, when we are not willing to make the effort to go deeper with Him through in-depth study and meditation of His Word? As God sees us digging for deeper truths, and applying them to our lives, He will reward us with more divine revelation that will bless us in the areas of our need - including health, finances, and relationships. Not only that, but He will equip us to share that revelation knowledge with others in life-changing ways.

The Lord is saying to His people today: "When you come looking for Me, you'll find Me. Yes, when you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed...I'll turn things around for you." (Jeremiah 29:13-14 MSG) How can we show God that we're serious about having a more meaningful relationship with Him? We can carve time out of our busy schedules to spend time alone with Him each day in prayer and Bible study. We can buy helpful study materials, such as good study Bibles, devotional books, and concordances, even if it means doing without something else we wanted. Instead of listening to music in our car, we can listen to good preaching on the radio or on tape, or we can pray and meditate on Scripture. We can simply talk to the Lord more, and give Him more opportunities to speak to us. Making ourselves more available to Him is an important key to going deeper with God, and getting to know Him better. As we show the Lord that we are serious about growing closer to Him, He will move heaven and earth to reveal Himself to us in extraordinary, life-changing ways!

Prayer: Lord, show me what steps I can take today to prove to You that I am serious about getting to know You better. Do a new and mighty work in my heart, so that I will yearn for Your presence in ways that will move me to action. I don't want to be a spiritual sluggard, Lord. I want to fulfill my God-given purpose and potential. Thank You that with Your help, I will no longer be a half-hearted Christian, but a wholehearted servant of the Most High God!