Devotion #42

Hi, Everyone.
One of the blessings of posting these devotions is that it gives me an opportunity to relive very precious moments with my Lord. I love how one's past with the Lord can be one's present and one's future. In fact, it just keeps getting better and better!
Today's devotion is from my personal journal dated May 20, 2007. May it bless you, and may you bless me by responding.

     I awoke this morning, hearing my Father saying so gently, "Seek Me." It took my breath away. I cannot explain it. His voice was so soft and gentle, yet the impact was so strong in my spirit that I could not wait to be alone with Him.
     I decided to focus on the first scripture of the New Testament I could find that had the word "seek" in it and was about seeking God. I found it in Matthew 6:25-34. (The first reference with "seek" was about seeking the Christ child, to destroy Him, so I went to the next reference, in the Concordance).
     "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? Oh, you of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself."
     I am commanded to seek first the kingdom of God. I am not to be focused on the physical and temporary needs of life, like food, clothing, and shelter. Seeking God's kingdom and righteousness is most important. It is to be the number one priority in my life. If I do that, everything else will be provided by my Jehovah-Jireh (the God Who Provides), for He knows all my needs.
     It is unbecoming of a Christian to focus on the temporal, to fear about tomorrow, to worry about this or that. It shows that he/she does not trust God to deliver and supply. To be "full of care" is shameful. Worry is a sin. When I am tempted to "take thought" about any area of provision, I must ask myself, "Do I believe God? Do I believe, truly believe, His Word?"
     I can sense when I'm not trusting, when I'm "taking thought" of cir****tances, because I feel agitated in my spirit. That tells me that I have not sought the Lord and His wisdom, in my situation. Even though my flesh stubbornly resists the seeking of God, I know that God comes to my aid, when I make seeking Him my priority.
     How does all of this relate to weight loss? It liberates me from focusing on weight loss. I am focused on pursuing Christ, and my eating habits are part of how I pursue Christ. If I am seeking Christ first, I will eat in a careful manner, so that I enjoy my food as a gift of God and so that I do not overeat. Weight loss will be a by-product of my life, because I am committed to focusing on the glory of God and pursuing the righteousness of Christ in all things.
     We tend to think that seeking God means that we have to strive or be perfect or spend hours in prayer or be cloistered somewhere, away from the world. Seeking God is simply opening up one's heart and mind to the presence of the Father, who loves with an everlasting, unconditional love. My prayer is that I will seek God first, that I will pursue Him, run to Him, bask in His presence, make Him the priority in my life, and that even my eating habits will evidence that.

Today, take time to seek the Lord. You'll know you "get" what that means, when you "get" this song sung by Kari Jobe, "The More I See You."
http://www.imeem.com/people/u7Bc7S/music/4oNDYmkz/christ_for _the_nations_institute_the_more_i_seek_you/

Blessings,
Mary

Hi Mary,
So many times in my Christian life I was a human doing.  I was so busy doing the things that made me a Christian, works oriented living.  Now, I focus on being a Christian.  Seeking Him, and Him alone.  He is the one who has transformed me, and is transforming me today.  It is such a shame that it took me such a long time to discover these truths.

Hugs
Trish

Hi, Trish.
I SO understand what you're talking about. I grew up in a works-oriented family, and that magnified when we found Jesus. It's fine to "do" for the Lord, but the motive should be from a profound love of Him, not because we feel we "should" do those things. Many church families are so involved in church (which is fine) that they don't have time to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord (which is not fine). It's not an issue of salvation, of course, but it is an issue of relationship, and without a close relationship, what's the use?
You have discovered all this, and you are making your relationship with the Lord your priority. He is pleased with that, I know, and even if you lived just ONE day in communion with the Master, it would be worth it.
Thanks for reading and sharing.
Blessings,
Mary