Our focus for today will be that of “Seeks.”
It’s an interesting word. And when I considered it, I was reminded of something Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:7, we find these words, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
What I find interesting about these two verses is that many times we take it to mean something it doesn’t. Our asking is of a particular kind of asking. Our seeking, which is the emphasis for today, is of a particular kind of seeking. And that which will be opened, Or that that door upon which we knock upon is a particular door.
Now it may seem arbitrary to make this distinction, but Jesus himself in the previous chapter, in Chapter 6, makes an interesting claim. In Matthew 6:31-32, he says, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What will we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” And then he makes this very famous, very well known statement, Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (v. 33).
What does this all mean? It means that what we must be seeking is not that which satisfies our own pleasures or that which we long for. What we must seek, first and above all else, is the kingdom of God. That which brings to life what God has been speaking of and declaring since the foundations of the world. Our seeking is not to be selfish. Our seeking is not to be self-centered. Our seeking should not be to make ourselves bigger. Our seeking should be in bringing to pass or bringing to bear that which God has said is his highest aim. And that is to bring the light into a place that is dark. To come and bring peace in a world that is turbulent. To bring joy to those who are weary and heavy-laden.
We are to seek first the kingdom. And God says that he will take care of the needs of our lives. Too often we make something we want into a need, and this is a very dangerous and unfortunate decision. So this Lent, as we move forward towards Resurrection Sunday, I encourage you and I remind myself that what I must seek, God has already stated, seek His kingdom and then you will find what you need is already supplied.
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