Monday 1 November 2010

"Have Your Souls Happy in God"

What do you see as the most important business of each day? What is the one thing that you say, "If I do nothing else today I must do this"? George Muller was a pastor of a church in Bristol, alongside the heavy slog of caring for a church he founded many orphanages, set up schools for teaching the Bible to adults and children, was involved in Bible and tract distribution and supported missions; all alongside being a husband and father. However, in the midst of all these various things calling for his attention he had one clear priority that he knew he must give himself to daily:
According to my judgement the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last five and thirty years. For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I specially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.
Mueller knew that the one thing that we must give ourselves to daily is seeking to be satisfied in Christ alone, to grow to know and love and delight in God alone. Only if this is our priority will everything else fall into their proper places. Let us be those who give ourselves daily to making Jesus our delight and pleasure, the one thing that satisfies us. The way we do this is by giving ourselves to dilligent study of the Word of God and dependant prayer. What is the one thing I must do today? If I do nothing else today I must give myself to seeking satisfaction in Christ alone.