In my life there has been much joy, pain, defeats, victories, and sin. Through all of this I have spent many years trying to be successful in my profession as well as a good father, husband, and member of a local congregation. I have been an officer in the church for many years and have tried to be effective in that capacity as well.
A few years ago I came to the realization that no matter how successful I am at any of those things which I have mentioned above,
it is all for naught if I do not have a genuine relationship with God. So I began to pray and search God’s word for the answer. Jesus gave us the answer, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
The conclusion which I arrived at, as a Christian trying to serve God and to do His will, is that we should seek God. This is the single most important thing which we, as children of God, must do to show ourselves approved of God. Paul, in his epistle to the Romans says, “I Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)
Paul’s admonition to the Christians in Rome has a lot to do with yielding to the Holy Spirit and being an instrument for God’s service. But it also has a lot to do with seeking God, for he continues in verse two, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” How can we truly be transformed unless we seek God?
What does it mean to seek God, or how does one go about seeking God? To seek, as it is used in this capacity, means to beat a common path to something. Or, in other words, to constantly seek. It doesn’t mean to seek, find, and have something. It does mean to do the same thing over and over again, to constantly be seeking.
A few years ago my wife decided that she wanted a new lamp for the living room. She knew just exactly where she was going to put it, but she didn’t know exactly what kind of lamp she wanted. She spent many hours over a period of several months looking for (seeking) that perfect lamp for that one spot in the living room. I heard her fretting over the fact that she could not find a lamp she liked for those several months. Then one day she came home with a lamp. She announced that she had found the lamp she wanted, she placed it on the table, and I never heard another word about that lamp. She sought the lamp, found it, and then had it. She probably didn’t think much about it after that.
This is not what seeking God is all about. We cannot simply seek God, find Him, and then have Him. We can’t put Him on a shelf somewhere and forget about Him. Paul, in his epistle to the Colossians gives us some insight into what it means to seek God. He tells the Colossians, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1,2) We need to set our minds on things above. In other words, we need to have God in the forefront of our consciousness. As we meet problems in life, or as we make decisions, we need to be asking ourselves, “What would God have me do in this situation?” We need to throw off the phoniness of “playing Christian,” and be known as a person who seeks God.
There are many ways in which we seek God: through prayer, memorization of scripture, fasting, Bible study, attending worship services, communion service, listening to gospel music or taped sermons, meditating on God and His word, and sharing Christ with one another.
The book of Isaiah tells us that we should seek God while He is near, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6) Seeking God is also exercising our faith in Him. It is impossible to please God without faith. (See Hebrews 11:6) However, for many Christians, the only time they make a conscience effort to seek God is when there is trouble, when they want something, or when they expect a blessing. This is not wholeheartedly seeking God. Bedside table lamps