Seek and Find

IF WE KNOW AND TRUST the good will of Jesus toward us we know and trust that the best way to happiness is to seek his kingdom first. Why? Because near the end of his kingdom manifesto Jesus told us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Not second, not third, and not once in a while, but first. WE can assume, because he always seeks our good that he means this for our good. We also know that a person of good will does not tell us to seek something unless he is quite sure we can find it. That means that by seeking we can experience the kingdom of God in our lives. But what does that mean?

To seek for God’s kingdom means endeavoring to experience and have others experience the realm where God is, ruling, guiding, and enriching us by his presence and help. Jesus was, and is, speaking to people who felt battered by the concerns of life. And he says, “You have a lot of things to worry about. Do one thing and all these worries will be taken care of. Make it your focus to do with God what he is doing.” How do we do that?

In the Bible God inspired these words to Joshua as he made plans, against terrible odds, to gain the Promised Land: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success (Joshua 1:8). The law of God in a real sense described how God would act. As you take in the law it shapes you to live as God would. Jesus indicated that God’s Word is what strengthens the soul when he said, “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” But what does seeking something first look like?

If you have ever lost your wallet how do you seek for it? You look everywhere for it. It is your focus. When we seek the kingdom of God we are to do so with that same keenness. And we are motivated by the same thing, the value of the object we seek.