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| Here I am giving "preaching" a shot! |
Seek First - the solution to all your problems!
Write down on a piece of paper 1-3 problems in your life right now. Anything from loneliness, issues with anger, lack of love for others, future decisions to make, low self-esteem, not enough time in your day, your spouse or parenting may be a problem, or maybe self-righteousness...
"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7, 8 ESV)
What do we hear at 5am? Quarter to 1pm? 4pm? 6:45 and 8pm? A call to prayer. Five times a day our neighbors use many empty phrases thinking they will be heard. Do not be like them this verse says! Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Look at your sheet and think, what do you need? You may not even know. He does.
For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:32-33 ESV)
Again it says He knows that you need them all! What is the solution prescribed in this verse? Is it to read the latest most popular book on the topic? Listen to a sermon on how to gain strength in this area? Find a mentor who has achieved success in what you need? Shall we simply work harder at becoming the kind of person we need to be for our present situation?
No. It says Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Seek God. That's it. I have now given you the answer to all your problems. Thank you for your time.
Ok, is it really that simple? I dare to say, "Yes!" We toil and trouble ourselves striving for how to truly live like Christ. We search for answers and encouragement in every area and all the while avoiding the one thing that will solve every problem - God. Sure, We may come to Him and pour out all our requests to Him and seek prayer for each item but is that really seeking God? Or is it simply seeking a solution as even the Gentiles do?
The type of seeking I'm talking about is not to seek God to find you a spouse, or seek God to change the spouse you have, or seek God to be a better spouse, parent or person etc. I mean seek God to know God.
But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29 ESV)
And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord , the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, (2 Chronicles 15:12 ESV)
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
When searching for "Seek God" in the ESV there are 55 results.
When searching Seek The Lord you find 77 results:
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! (1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV)
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalms 34:10 ESV)
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, "Great is the Lord !" (Psalms 40:16 ESV)
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord , that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12 ESV)
Remember Matt. 6:33? Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness?
Matthew 5:6 also says,
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6 ESV)
The next part of verse 33 doesn't continue by saying seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then go work really hard on it and keep trying to show God how much you want to live like Him. Or even seek first the kingdom of God and then you will earn all these things. No! It says seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things will be added to you. This does not indicate effort or choice on the recipient it simply comes as a packaged deal.
I would like to share a journal entry of mine from November where I wrestled with this thought:
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Lord, I desire to know the depths of your love. I desire your companionship. I need you. To be like you. There are so many sins that are only symptoms of a more serious problem. It is like I have the chicken pox and I am trying to get rid of each and every red bump when in reality it is the sickness itself I must attend to - not the symptoms. Chicken pox has no cure -only to allow it to take its course. This does not mean I should sit back and let sin takes its course. It's God's saving grace, like my immune system, which will take over the sin. I need only to rest in Him and trust in His saving grace to do the work in me.
Also, while we are sick, we can maintain good health, drink plenty of liquids, get proper nutrition and rest but in and of ourselves we do not have the choice or ability to heal. Only to do what is best to facilitate what our body is already going to do. Likewise, we can read our Bibles, pray and rest in God's work. This will prepare us spiritually to allow God to do his work in our hearts.
Lord, help me to stop picking at the little red bumps in my life for they are many. When I think I have cured one, two more grow in its place and I find I am worse off than I thought. I thank you for the strength of your word and opportunities of fellowship with you. I thank you that you are trustworthy.
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So what are the things verse 33 is talking about when it says "and all these things will be added to you"
In 1Timothy we read:
"for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8 ESV)
Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (Mark 10:29, 30 ESV)
Delight yourself in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4 ESV)
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. (Psalms 37:11 ESV)
His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. (Psalms 112:2, 3 ESV)
The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4 ESV)
The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. (Proverbs 19:23 ESV)
Godliness, desires of your heart, satisfied, abundant peace, riches, mighty in the land, a generation to be blessed, honor, life, having satisfied rest, not to be visited by harm... These are but a few - would any of these benefit you?
The more I seek God, the more I see I have no power to change myself or my situation -as hard as I may try. Yet, the more I seek Him, the more I see Him at work in my life - as I spend time with God, reading his word, singing songs of worship and praise to Him and praying to know him more, I am being made like him.
So when I leave my prayer closet, I am not more patient with my kids because I decide to be, I am more patient because He is patient. I am not more joyful because I put on a smile and determine to be, it is because He is my joy, I do not enjoy time with my neighbors because I should, I enjoy them because Christ loved me first. I do not worry about our future because I have a five year plan, but because I know, He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)
So there you have it. The solution to all your problems. I guess it's true when they say "its not what you know, it's who you know." Cheesy? Yes, but do you know God? Truly know Him in a way that is continually changing your life - making you more like Him?
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; (Isaiah 55:6 ESV)
So many Christians would struggle so much less if they would only live by Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you"
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| This is why we are here— to seek Him first! |
