All of us are seeking after something. We get out of bed in the morning desiring and working toward this “something”. For many it’s money, fame, power, sex, popularity, etc. There are also many who have no idea what it is they seek. They spend a lot of their life trying to “find themselves” and try to do all sorts of things in a quest to answer that problem. The ironic part is that they tend to lose themselves completely in the search for themselves. It’s a sad reality.
As Christians it should be quite the opposite story. Seeing as we are “strangers and pilgrims” (1 Pet 2:11) on this earth we do not seek after things on this earth. Rather we “seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col 3:1). We seek not to benefit ourselves but to benefit others and to bring glory and praise to our Lord. The problem comes when we get distracted from our focal point of seeking. It is all too common in the Christian faith that when a Christian is busy seeking the face of God the cares of this life come upon them and distract them from seeking God. They turn their gaze away from God and begin to work towards something else. This is the beginning of every single backslide.
My intent in this post is to remind you, and steer you (and me), back to the focal point: Christ. I recently ran into a foundational passage of scripture that I would like to further expand on. Found in Proverbs 2:2-5. In this passage we have an exhortation to seek after wisdom, discernment, and understanding. We are then given an “If-Then” statement. It goes as follows: “If thou seekest her (understanding) as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” We then conclude from this passage that our revelation of God and any “fear of the Lord” that may be in us now was a result of the Holy Spirit’s initial pull on our hearts to have us seek after understanding.
Examine Yourself
Now I want you to hit pause on everything in life. Silence your phone, get alone, clear your mind, and get before God. Ask yourself honestly before God: “What am I seeking after?” Have you been seeking more time? More money? Less stress? Have you been seeking others? Love? Acts of kindness? Even so, the one thing that ought to be sought after is God Himself. Are you seeking God? You will see on the front page of my website a phrase from my first post which goes: “Join me to seek the Living God. To seek Him on our knees to begin a revival in our hearts. To seek Him, not for benefits, but for a relationship.” We aren’t seeking “anguish” here. That would be ridiculous. We seek Christ, and in so doing we find anguish that He grants to us to share with Him.
If you are honest with yourself and find that you have been distracted – do not panic. We all have been there. The good thing is you recognize it and now you need to re-focus on Christ. The formula has been the same since the beginning of time. Get back to your Bible. Get back on your knees. Repent of the time you’ve spent distracted. Begin with the passage above. Ask God to lead you in His word. There is another promise that you can stand upon as a guarantee from God: “he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb 11:6) Become diligent in seeking Him. Make it your number one priority again and I promise (actually God promises) He will help you.