Seek Me … Find Me … Trust Me

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Our Verse of the Day affirms the timeless message of trusting in God. Are you worried about your life? Fearful that you will have enough food or clothes to meet your needs? Dreadful that the rent or mortgage payment will not get paid and you will lose your shelter? In His teachings recorded for us in Matthew 6, Jesus assures us that God is absolutely concerned about every aspect of our lives and we can trust Him for provision of every need. I will reprint the context for your reference and contemplation:

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Notice in the verse it states, “… and all these things will be given to you as well.” The implication is that everything that you and I need for our physical lives comes from God … these are given to us by God. And so, it follows that we should seek the One who “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:17) God said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Cf. Jeremiah 29:13) The key here is searching for God with all of our hearts! This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live! (Cf. Amos 5:4) And He declares the same promise to you and me. Apart from God there is no life … and with Him there is no anxiety or fear. He is the Lord our Provider – Jehovah Jireh. Amen.

So, I encourage you to let faith have its way in your life. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Cf. Proverbs 3:5-6). Indeed, “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” (Cf. Psalm 9:9-10) The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in Him…. (Cf. Nahum 1:7) That is the message for us today! Indeed, let each of us declare: “In You, Lord my God, I put my trust.” (Cf. Psalm 25:1)

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

My salvation and my honor depend on God Most High; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him,

for God is our refuge. ~ Psalm 62:7-8

When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? What can man do to me? ~ Psalm 56:3-4; 10-11

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

Diversity In Unity

Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

A couple of weeks ago (August 13^th), I cited our Verse of the Day in the commentary regarding our identities as new creations in Christ Jesus. So perhaps we are called again to reflect on this topic further. In a world that appears to be fixated on the differences in our human and physical characteristics, I find it disheartening how our “diversity” can be used to create divisions between cultures and nations rather than to facilitate and encourage the unity God desires for people. To me, our Verse of the Day looks to “unity within diversity” because our “oneness” is the desire of God for those who abide in Christ Jesus. Let’s look at the surrounding context:

Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV).

²⁶So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Faith in Jesus Christ changes everything … because to be in Christ means we have been born-again of the Spirit of God. This new birth makes us children of God; and as new creations in Christ, we no longer conform to the patterns of this world. (Cf. John 1:12-13; 3:3-8; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; Galatians 6:12-15) Yes, in Christ we are spiritual creations … the workmanship of God the Father … and He has ordained for our identities in Him to be formed apart from our physical characteristics … our ethnicities … our biological determinants … or our social status. And collectively, the new creation God has formed through His Spirit is the Church … the Body of Christ … and we are members of His Body and belong to one another. (Cf. Romans 12:4-5) It is this connectedness that unifies us in Christ Jesus. Our diversity is neutralized through our interdependent function within the Body. Indeed, what should distinguish believers IS our unity!

Paul gave an insightful speech in the Areopagus at Athens, Greece. His discourse is captured for us in Acts 17:22-34. What led me there in my study was his commentary on the common origin of mankind and the sovereignty of God over human life:

Acts 17:24-28 (NIV)

²⁴“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, God Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one blood He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.²⁸‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

What I want to focus on a moment is Verse 27 and its implications. We know from Genesis 1:27 that “God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Cf. Genesis 5:2) And I think we can reasonably infer that our gender distinctiveness was designed for reproductive purposes along with its spiritual applications for intimate relationship with God. Likewise, we know that from the original union (one blood) all the physical diversity of mankind has developed over the millennia. Our physical characteristics are quite diverse; and yet, we are genetically and reproductively compatible as a unique form of life God designed us to be. As mankind has reproduced and migrated over the earth, distinct peoples and cultures formed and settled into diverse geographic regions and nations. And what Paul helps us to see and understand is that God planned and purposed this phenomenon. Speaking of the course of human history, Paul asserts that God “determined their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” Thus, the diversity of mankind that we observe has been sovereignly designed by God! But what we may not have realized is the reason for it: “So that people would seek God and reach out to Him and find Him.”

I find that statement quite powerful … the assertion that the purpose of human diversity is to draw us closer to God. Somehow, through our ethnic and cultural differences, God planned to inspire people to “seek Him”. Fascinating! The very richness of human biological expression that has so often divided us is actually the very mechanism God has purposed to unite us! And when a person finds Jesus, the One whom God sent, he or she finds God! As Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (Cf. John 14:6-7) Yes, in Christ, all of our differences and identities are set aside through the unity of faith. So let us make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Cf. Ephesians 4:3-6)

A Final Thought:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” ~ Revelation 7:9-10

So Now You Know….

Have a Blessed Day!

Verse of the Day – 02/24/19

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

This passage has always been a favorite of mine – and I am sure many of you are quite familiar with it as well. Like the “series” of verses we have reviewed the past few weeks, this one also reveals the great love of God for you and His concern for your life as well. He knows YOU! He knows the desires of your heart! AND He longs for you…. Yes, God longs for a close relationship with you … a deep, personal relationship … and He promises that you WILL find Him when you seek Him with all your heart. God is delighted when you and I seek Him … when we call on Him … when we pray to Him. AND God promises to listen to you.

This verse reminded me of a speech that the Apostle Paul made before the men of Athens when he spoke at the Areopagus (Mars Hill) near the Acropolis. It is recorded in the Book of Acts, and I will share it here for your contemplation. For indeed, Paul confirms that God desires us to seek Him … to reach out to Him … and to find Him … though He is ever present with us:

Acts 17:22-31 (NIV)

²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. ²⁴“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, God Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one man (Adam) God made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ²⁸‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ (Here Paul is quoting the Cretan philosopher Epimenides) As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ (Here Paul is quoting the Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus) ²⁹“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.³⁰In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. ³¹For God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed (the man Christ Jesus). God has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him (Jesus) from the dead.”

I observed here how Paul used the cerebral contemplations of contemporary or well-known (well-read) philosophers to bring “Truth” into the forefront of his apologetics. He implies that there is truth to be discovered even within the “ignorance” of these purveyors of human wisdom. But Paul brings the wisdom of God into view … revealing how God desires us … how He longs for us … how He wants us to seek Him and find Him! He is not an “unknown” God; rather, He is the Creator who has revealed Himself through His Word … and in these last days made Himself known through His Son! (Cf. Hebrews 1:2) Jesus is the picture … the “selfie” of the love of God! And He has brought you and I into the world at this time in history … at this place in history … in this specific community … in your specific family … for one purpose. That purpose is to seek God … to reach out to Him … and to find Him. EVERY CONTEXT in which you and I live and move and have our being – home, work, family, friends, church, community, etc. – has only one goal in the mind of God – that you and I would seek Him above all else. Everything else in this life pales in comparison to abiding in God and He in us! And everything else … outside of the body He gave you … is simply the context which He designed for us – and woven into the tapestry of plans He has for us – to accomplish this one goal – TO BRING YOU AND ME TO HIMSELF!

Why would God save us from darkness and bring us into His marvelous light (Cf. 1 Peter 2:9) if He did not love us and want a personal relationship with His created beings? And if He loves us (and He does), why would He not have your best and my best life in His mind. Yes, Father God has a plan and a purpose for each of us!. And God has ordained His best life for each of us according to His own counsel, wisdom, and will … even if we cannot envision what He sees for our lives. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28 that we can readily and confidently know that God causes all things to work for the good of those who love Him, to those who have been called according to His purpose.” And in Romans 8:31 Paul asserts: “If God is FOR us, who can be against us?” This is what faith is all about! This is faith in its purest expression … that no matter what befalls us in this life … we place our full and complete trust in the living God.

O, how I pray that we will trust and rely on the love that God has for us. (Cf. 1 John 4:16) Help us to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that we might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Cf. Ephesians 3:19). Yes, I pray that God will fill us with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. (Cf. Colossians 1:9) O Lord, increase our faith! Amen.