There is much of seeking that meets with disappointment because we do not heed the admonition "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." We are told in Romans 14-17 that the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Now the man or woman who kneels at the altar may or may not be seeking God in the sense of this text. They may be only seeking deliverance from some appetite. The fear of hell may have brought them to their knees or perhaps a desire to go to heaven which their fancy has pictured as a place of eternal bliss, may be the motive that brings them.

These are right enough if they beget a desire for the Kingdom of God, but they frequently do not reach that point. The reason there is so much of blacksliding and so much of up and down experience in the church today is that instead of looking upon the religion of Jesus Christ as a transforming power, bringing us into harmony with God, we look upon it as a kind of ticket for heaven which we purchase with a certain amount of religious observance.

This is where we deceive ourselves. Heaven cannot be bought at any price and it is only our fitness that will gain us admittance. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).

Written by E. D. Hinchman for The Nazarene Messenger, March 13, 1902

Please note: This article was originally published in 1902. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.

Used with permission from Nazarene Archives for devotions with Holiness Today.