Seek the LORD Again

I will disobey the LORD. There, I said it. I have to remind myself daily that this is going to happen. And I am not alone and it has been this way since Adam and Eve in the garden.

This morning I was reminded this form the passage I am in from Deuteronomy. I am in chapter 4 with all of the commands and calls for obedience. I see that the people were given instruction to not worship idols, and if they did, they would be driven across the land and perish. There they would continue to worship idols.

“²⁶I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. ²⁷And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. ²⁸And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.” – Deuteronomy 4:26-28 (ESV)

See that in worshiping idols away from the land they were promised yields nothing for them. These idols do nothing for the people. They are left to doing things on their own and realize that it is the LORD who was providing for them and not the idols they were worshiping. So, they turn back to the LORD.

“²⁹But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice.” – Deuteronomy 4:29-30 (ESV)

The same can be and is available for me. I will disobey the LORD. But, I have the opportunity to turn back to and obey Him. I will sin and yet He is there waiting for me to repent and turn back to Him where He accepts me with open arms.

“³¹For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.” – Deuteronomy 4:31 (ESV)

I have to admit that I will disobey the LORD. I also have to remember that He knows and will wait on me to realize my disobedience and repent and return to Him. I will seek Him again and He is ready for my return.

What are your thoughts on disobeying the LORD? Are you willing to admit it and are you worried you can’t come back from that disobedience? What if you realized that you will disobey and know that you can come back through realizing, repenting, and seeking the LORD once again?

Nothing Gained in this World

This morning I was reminded of how all that we do in this world gains us very little as it all has already been realized at some point. I am reading in Ecclesiastes this morning and the passage is titled “All is Vanity”. As I read, I see that everything is or has been done already. What we find as “new” is not really new at all. Everything has been done and experienced before.

“⁴A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.

⁵The sun rises, and the sun goes down,

and hastens to the place where it rises.

⁶The wind blows to the south

and goes around to the north;

around and around goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind returns.

⁷All streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they flow again.”

— Ecclesiastes 1:4-7 (ESV)

All is only “new” in the moment or to the one. Lori and I are taking a vacation to California and will likely take a quick ride to the Pacific coastline and gaze out and dip our toes into the sea. We will enjoy the moment, yet the there is really nothing new to these actions other than being an area we have not been to before. Once we leave, the new has worn off and the next time we go, it will not have the same impact.

“²Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

³What does man gain by all the toil

at which he toils under the sun?”

— Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 (ESV)

When nothing is “new” in this world, there is nothing gained by seeking it out. I will be spinning my wheels and waste away as I look to this world to give me something it cannot give.

And that is where the LORD comes in. He is NEW every day. He gives life to it all. He provides for us all. He blesses us all. Think about that same trip to the Pacific coastline that Lori and I are taking. Where it is not “new”, we can look to the beauty of it and know that was created by God. We can praise Him for it all. We can anticipate the additional great things that we will witness, knowing that He made them all. We will gain from Him and not the things of this world. Gain is in the LORD. It is in the things that He has made and not in the things themselves as they are not “new”. Seeking out the things of this world are an exercise in vanity as we look to be marveled by the things when we should be seeking out the LORD and be marveled by what He provides for us to experience. That is our gain.

What are you seeking out? Are you looking for things to gain from? What if you sought the LORD and gained from Him and all that He provides for you?

Seek First God and All Will Be Added

“³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

The verse above is found in the passage titled “Do Not Be Anxious” in my ESV Bible. I have written from this passage a number of times and again, God has led me here for some learning this morning. He continues to lead me to the passages where I am in need and adds to my learning when I am focused on Him and that which He has for me.

My first priority should be to seek God first and His kingdom. Everything else will be provided on the basis of what God has for me in His plan for me. All else should be of no real concern as I traverse this world. I need not worry of my sustenance or provision as God will make sure I have those things needed. I should work to bring glory to God and then know that all else is from Him.

Each year I select a word to live out and in that word I work to do that which God has for me. I have over the years chosen the words, growth, learning, stand, and this year the word “more” has come to me. More action, more giving, more of me, more of the LORD in my life, more love, more joy, and more of everything.

As I sit here this morning I am looking for more through God’s Word. That more will come when I devote more of me to Him and the plans He has for me. I give more and will receive more. I do more and more will be done. I love more and more love will be given. I provide more of and for God and more will be provided to and through me. It all starts with my work for God and giving to and doing for the LORD.

I remember back to the movie “Yes Man” with Jim Carrey and see the impact of doing more. I have to apply the concept to my relationship with God and do for Him. Yes to God and all that He has for me. Doing for Him and knowing that the more I am doing for Him the more will be added to me. I am to say Yes to God and do His work and know that He has already done and will continue to do for me. I will be added to when I am glorifying Him in all that I do, so saying Yes is of high priority for me.

Here’s the thing and the caveat. I have to focus on getting things right in my relationship with God and know that when I do, He provides for me. I have to just simply do for Him and not expect anything in return, but know that He will provide all that I “need” and bless me in the process. All will be added to me when I have focused on Him and doing that which He has for me to do. I am a servant of God and not the other way around.

What are you looking to be added to you? Are you seeking that which you would like to be added? What if you were to seek first to bring glory to God and allowed Him to provide all to be added to you?