Seek First
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19
INSIGHT
We do desperate things when we long to be loved. We will go to dramatic lengths to experience love, confirm we are loved or show others we are lovable. From people-pleasing and attention-seeking to fixing our behavior and becoming a doormat, there is nothing off-limits to what we’re willing to do in order to experience that elusive thing called love. All of these responses focus on our behavior and work towards being worthy of love. If we can just perform, act, and look worthy then maybe we actually will be worthy.
This perspective on human love we transfer over to our interactions with God. We have to clean up our behavior and get our act together before we can approach Him. And if, and when, we mess up, we reason all that hard work was for nothing. We head back to the starting line all over again.
Yet, Christ’s love is so drastically different than that of the world. And because of this reality, we have to see God from a different perspective than the default lens we use to see Him. The command to seek first His Kingdom is a gracious command to align our hearts with not only what it wants the most, but in fact what it was made for.
Understanding we are loved by Christ transforms the way we see everything else. This is why Jesus invites us to change where we set our eyes. He understood the connection between our eyes and our hearts. Our hearts are changed by what we see, but our lives flow out of what is inside our hearts. The desires of our heart drive everything we do.
To seek is to look for something. To stare at something is to take it in. To knock requires us to approach. We take in Christ’s love so it takes over our hearts. This can only happen when we look intently at who God is. This doesn’t happen in a rush. It won’t occur in an instant. It’s impossible to experience unless we’re willing to let go of our perspective.
Everything begins with an encounter where what we see is influenced, challenged, or impacted. It might be a conversation with a friend, a difficult circumstance, a challenging Scripture, or a situation where our faith is tested. These encounters have the ability to form and shape our hearts as well as widen our perspective of God’s love and His faithfulness.
As a result of these encounters and the formation process that comes with it, our hearts express themselves in relation to what they know. We can’t run to expression too quickly. We must slow down and let these moments transform us by changing the way we view God.
REFLECTION
What do you see when you look at Jesus? Where does this viewpoint or impression of Him come from?
Would you say this lens lines up with how He’s described in Scripture? Why or why not?
PRAYER
God, let Your love be the lens I use to view the world around me. Help me to rest in the security of knowing that I’m loved completely and fully. Shape and mold these truths into my heart so they will guide my steps. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
