Seek my face and turn from [your] wicked ways. (2 Chron. 7:14)
ONE OF MY FAVORITE Dennis the Menace cartoons shows Dennis being angry after playing a game of hide-and-seek with Mr. Wilson. When asked why he was mad, Dennis said, “Mr. Wilson ruined the game because he don’t seek!” While it is no game to seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, there is a very important reality of the Christian walk that is the epitome of what repentance means. We are to turn toward and follow God. It is a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn to Him, heading completely away from wickedness.
When we seek someone, it usually means we are looking to locate the individual. When we seek God and His face, we do not mean to say He is lost and we need to find Him. It actually means we are to look Him in the eye. When looking into God’s face, we will then realize the greatness of His love for us. When we truly grasp the depth of God’s love, we will have all the motivation we need to turn from our wicked ways.
Part of the reason why many live wicked lifestyles is because they have never realized the gift of God’s love. Many have never truly looked God in the eye—the gateway to His heart. A friend of mine used to say, “A beggar will look you in the hand; a lover will look you in the eye.”
- Humble yourself and pray today.
Jim Dunn is the executive director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship for The Wesleyan Church. He resides with his family in the Indianapolis area.
