“What are you looking for?” my husband sometimes says as I wander the house slowly with narrowed eyes. More often than not, I’m searching for my phone, or the ever-elusive glass of water I swear I just poured.
If you could see inside my mind and heart, you’d often notice a similar posture of searching.
I imagine this is true for most of us.
By design, we’re seekers.
By design, we’re seekers. Click To Tweet
“What are your goals?”
“What do you want to do when you grow up?”
“What will you do next?”
“What’s coming up this weekend?”
“What’s next on the grocery list?”
We ask questions all day, every day. They pertain to many things, but they all involve searching…for knowledge, for food, for plans, for assurance, for connection, etc.
God knows this. He gave us both our limits and our inquisitiveness, our knowing and our need for growing.
Lately I’ve been learning to consider more thoroughly if what I’m really searching for is worthwhile. God has supplied much to find for those who seek Him first…
Seek His Kingdom
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33
The Kingdom of God, also called the Kingdom of Heaven, is what Jesus talked about when He spoke about being ready, faith the size of a mustard seed, and a great treasure one would sell everything for. We don’t have the architectural blueprints or postcards to tell us what eternity will be like, but God’s Word tells us plenty about what is valued forever.
In our searching for things like what to do next or encouragement in tedious tasks, we can best route our paths by drawing an “X” marks the spot on what is righteous, eternally-impactful, and prioritizes God.
There’s no need to over-complicate this. We make so many choices each day, many of which determine how we spend our time, money, or energy. This can be as simple as making choices with a question in mind, like, “is this a priority eternally?”
Seek Others Above Yourself
“Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” –1 Corinthians 10:24
Add to this verse another: “Love is not self-seeking” (1 Corinthians 13:5). In a time where “love yourself so you can love others” is a popular sentiment, it’s easy to confuse God’s priorities.
One of the greatest blessings of the Christian life is the freedom we have (because God so loved us) to invest eternally in others. This was Jesus’ joy, laying down his life for us. Paul took great pains and pleasure in seeking the good of both unbelievers and believers, that all would know Christ and grow in Him. Marriage and family are pictures of this- unions where we have the privilege of participating in God’s work in others’ hearts and lives!
How do we seek others first? Pray for them as much as you do for your own wants or worries. Ask more questions. Pay attention, remember, learn what others care about. Do something they prefer. Check in. When we find ourselves thinking “But I want” or “what about me,” we can stop and insert other’s names instead.
Seek Godliness and Contentment
“To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy. Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” –1 Timothy 6:5-6
Sometimes our “spiritual seeking” has a lesser treasure listed as the prize. We easily fall into rehearsing godliness as a mode of seeking a good reputation, assurance of our identity, or accomplishing our goals. But what are we to press on for? What are we to wait for? Why are we to be still, and we are to fight the good fight?
In all things, the secret to contentment (and the key to godliness) is through Christ. Our great reward is Christ Himself! Our best goal from day to day is abiding in Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing worthwhile.
So, do we seek Him? Do our souls search out His kingdom and our minds fix on heavenly things? Do our eyes see others as those whom He loves? Do we ask, over and over, for Him to be our everything?
Let the seeker find that the Greatest Search holds Christ as the treasure!
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