Rooted and Established
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34
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 to experience that elusive thing called love. These responses focus on our behavior and work towards being worthy of love. If we can perform, act, and look worthy, we reason we may actually 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 approaching. If and when we mess up, 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. Therefore, the command to seek first His Kingdom is a gracious command to align our hearts with what it wants the most and what it was made for.
Understanding Christ loves us transforms the way we see everything else. 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 hearts drive everything we do.
To seek is to look for something. To stare at something is to take it in. We take in Christ's love, so it takes over our hearts. We don't rush but look slow down and look intently. 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 testing our faith. These encounters can form and shape our hearts and 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 with what they know. We can't run to expression too quickly. We must slow down and let these moments transform us by changing how 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.