Seek and Find the LORD

I know that I have written on the seeking of the LORD and finding Him. Well this morning I have been brought back to that once again. We are to truly seek Him and we will find Him.

“⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

The title of this passage in my ESV Bible is, “Ask, and It Will Be Given”. Where the passage is about asking for and receiving, I am looking to the first two verses that point to seeking and finding. When we seek we are earnest in our action. We are not just looking or searching, we are on a mission to find. When that is the case in our interactions with the LORD, He will provide.

I was going to add the word “truly” before “seek” in the title, but then I remembered something I had heard recently. When we add an adverb to an action, we tend to seem desperate and unsure. We are calling attention to something that should not need attention brought to it as it should stand on its own. Seek for example means: “to try to find, obtain, or achieve something, usually through purposeful effort or formal request” according to my quick search in Google. The “purposeful effort or formal request” give us what we need to know about seeking. The verb creates its own intention. There is no need for the adverb to escalate. So seeking stands on its own as purposeful and formal.

Seeking the LORD is purposeful and formal. It is not something that we do casually in an attempt to show something to others. We seek deeply and when we do, as Jesus notes in the passage, we will find. When we seek the LORD, we will find Him as He is looking for and waiting for us. David has given the same charge to Solomon to seek the LORD and be found by Him.

“⁹And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV)

And see the charge of David, our actions are to be “with a whole heart and with a willing mind”. Not just on the surface and for optics of those around us, but with purpose and formally. We are to “seek” the LORD and He will be found by us.

What does your finding of the LORD look like? Are you casually looking for Him to do big things for you? What if you were to seek Him, with purpose and formally, knowing that He will be found by you?

Wisdom Gives

That’s right, wisdom gives. We do not just receive.

“¹⁷I love those who love me,

and those who seek me diligently find me.”

— Proverbs 8:17 (ESV)

Those who love us tend to give of themselves to ensure that we have what we need. We do the same for those we love. Above is wisdom speaking. Notice love is given and received. And, not only that but there is a genuineness to the love and what is given and received.

“¹⁸Riches and honor are with me,

enduring wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,

and my yield than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,

in the paths of justice,

²¹granting an inheritance to those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.”

— Proverbs 8:18-21 (ESV)

We have to be careful when we think about the tangibleness of that which is given and received. When you quickly read verse 18 above, we have the idea that our lives will be filled with riches and wealth thanks to wisdom. The reality is that we gain the ability for those things. I know for myself, I seek wisdom and can say that to some degree I have been successful in finding it. But that said, I am not a wealthy man by monetary standards. Oh, I am not poor, but I do not have millions stored up. Even though, I have wealth that cannot be measured by societal standards.

I have been told that others are envious of my desire to learn, and more so my dissatisfaction with my process of learning when they can see that I have and do more learning than they can/are doing themselves. I thank them for their kindness and still internally I am still seeking wisdom every day. Not to get rich monetarily, but get rich in learning of and for the LORD.

You see, when we are seeking wisdom, we are able to find her. Why, because she wants to be found by those who are diligent in their seeking. Look back at verse 17 above and remember that it is wisdom speaking, who loves those who love it. And wisdom gives riches to those who find her.

What are you receiving? Are you seeking riches in the world and not getting? What if you were to shift your seeking to wisdom and when found, realize the riches she gives?

Find and Gain from Wisdom

We are pretty good at finding things when we are looking for them. Those things, when found, deliver some satisfaction, but generally that satisfaction is fleeting and minimal in lasting impact.

Notice the verbiage there in the above, looking for things. Thing are tangible what we get from them are fleeting as noted. But, intangible things we seem to seek as opposed to look for. Wisdom is one of those things that we should be seeking. We should have a deep desire to acquire wisdom for it is that which keeps on giving beyond the now.

“¹³Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who gets understanding,

¹⁴for the gain from her is better than gain from silver

and her profit better than gold.”

— Proverbs 3:13-14 (ESV)

Silver and gold, or those tangible things do have a shelf life. They can be here today and gone tomorrow. We seem to look for those things that give pleasure in the now and then we tend to take for granted that which we acquired and squander it in the time that comes after. But wisdom, when found is something that continues to pay dividends throughout time. We may lose silver and gold, but we can always get more when using our wisdom.

Napoleon Hill’s book, “Think and Grow Rich” discusses the value of knowledge and wisdom. We gain lasting “wealth” from our knowledge and wisdom than the acquisition of things in the now. If we lose the things today, we can get more of them tomorrow by the use of our thoughts and reason.

“⁵At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” and “⁹Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” – 1 Kings 3:5 & 9 (ESV)

Solomon understood the value of things and when presented by the LORD to the chance to ask for anything, he chose wisdom and understanding as he knew that would be the lasting thing to govern the people. And wisdom He received, and then he shared that wisdom through the writings we know today as Proverbs, where our focus verses this morning come from.

We are so intent on the acquisition of things in our lives that we miss the opportunity to find that which truly continues to give. We should be seeking the sustainable and gaining from its daily use and involvement in our lives. Wisdom found is there for lifelong gain.

What is it you seek? Are you looking for that thing to satisfy the now? What if you were seek, find, and gain from that which will give you lifelong gain, wisdom?

You Will Again Find the LORD

Review my choice of words in the title above. Be aware that it is you that will find the LORD again, and not that He again finds you. If you read my previous study of the word “abandon” you will see that the LORD does not nor will not abandon us. He is there always waiting on us to turn back to Him. And when we do, He is right there ready to pick us up.

“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. 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 4:30-31 (ESV)

The LORD will not leave or destroy us even though we turn away from Him. He gave us free will and He knew that we would act and do the way we act and do. He waits patiently for our return to Him. And, when we turn back to Him, He is there with open arms to receive us and love us and comfort us and protect us.

“²⁸And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 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.” – Deuteronomy 4:28-29 (ESV)

We will distance ourselves from the LORD and will worship other gods. We will be servants of those gods and will allow them to bring us into despair. And just when things are at their worst. At our tribulation, we will realize the err in our way and we will seek the LORD and we will find Him there waiting for us. We will search for Him with fervor and with conviction.

I again come to the point of who does the searching, we. It is not the LORD searching to find us, as He never abandoned us. It is we who are doing the seeking. It is we who are again turning to the LORD. It is we who are again finding the LORD.

What are you worshiping? Are you hoping for rescue? What if you realize the err in your worship and turn again to seek and find the LORD, knowing that He never did nor never will abandon you?

God’s Law Was and Is

The Law of the LORD was in the Old Covenant and is in the New Covenant. There, I can see, a tendency to split the law from the Old to the New Testaments in God’s Word, the Bible. I hear all of the time that things in the Old Testament are void based on a few items that no longer hold true in the New Testament. Take the eating of pork for instance. In the Old Testament pork is considered unclean and in the New Testament that has been voided.

“¹⁶The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. ¹⁷But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.” – Luke 16:16-17 (ESV)

It is not that the law of eating pork has been voided, it is that the eating of pork was a symbol of uncleanness and now, thanks to the coming, dying, and resurrection of Jesus, that symbol has been overridden. Pork is still unclean when one has not adhered to the salvation that comes with the acceptance of Jesus as our savior, it is just that the intent of the pork has lost its sting for those who have.

In Texas for instance, it is illegal to allow your camel to roam free on the beach in Galveston. The truth is that it is illegal to allow any large animals to roam free on public streets or other public property. When they animal is attended to there is no such restriction. When we are attended to by God, eating pork is not a thing anymore.

You see, the Law of the LORD was around in the beginning and the Law of the LORD is around today and the Law of the LORD will be around forever. The Old Covenant required the strict adherence to the law to be in right standing with the LORD and therefor. One set time and place was in place for the chance to seek and be granted forgiveness of our sins against the Law. This created the sense that there were those who were more holy than others as they were closer to the time and place regularly. In reality, it was just that those were “showy” in their adherence to the Law. In private there were those who where no different than everyone else.

In the New Covenant, this singular place and time were removed and all who accepted Jesus as Savior were made clean and were given the unlimited access to Him to seek forgiveness of our sins. We are no longer unclean and can come to Him for forgiveness. The New Covenant is in place for eternity. We all now have unlimited access to God.

Even with the unlimited access, the Law of the LORD is still in place and valid, The Ten Commandments are still there. Although that is just an example. The difference is that we follow the Law of the LORD today as a result of our forgiveness and not in our quest for it. The Law of the LORD is not the way to God, but is the way to show His example to others. The Law of the LORD was and is.

What is your view of the Law of the LORD? Is is something that no long applies as we have now moved into the New Covenant? What if we see God’s Law as always valid, only we don’t use it to get to salvation, but now it is the example of our salvation?

Maturity From the Heart

We are too often corrupted. Not even by things that are overtly corrupting. It comes from those things that are meant for in more youthful times. We are to seek maturity and not chase after our youth and those things that of our youthful time.

“²²So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” – 2 Timothy 2:22 (ESV)

When young, we seek things of youth. We look for fun and enjoyment in the moment. And when the moment passes, we move on to the next moment. We are limited in responsibility and therefore, those moments get in the way less often than when we are in a more mature season of life. Don’t get me wrong, we should be seeking enjoyment and joy in our lives. I am not advocating for no fun or living in the moment. We should however be grounded in maturity and seeking more sustainable joy and enjoyment.

As we see in the verse above, Paul guides Timothy to those joys and enjoyment that are of a more mature way. “Righteousness, faith, love, and peace” are where we should be seeking that joy and enjoyment. These are the more mature attributes, and we will find stability and comfort in them. There is more depth to them and more thought that comes with them. They are found deep inside us and are guided from, yes you guessed it, the heart. It is from our heart, where the LORD dwells, that we find the more lasting and mature things in life.

As we grow, we not only grow in size and age, but we should be growing in maturity as well. We should be pursuing those things that come with maturity such as those listed by Paul to Timothy. We are to grow up find the LORD in our heart and allow Him to guides us forward through the Holy Spirit. We are to find our joy and enjoyment in seeking the LORD and all that He has to offer in our lives.

And for those who ask what about the fun of our youth, where does that fit. Well, it still fits and should be a part of our lives, only we are not to seek after them and if/when they taking over our focus, we are to run from them. The word Paul uses above is to “flee” or run away from those things that are not building us up in the LORD. We will find ourselves in moments of youthful fun, and we should enjoy our time in those moments, yet they should be just that in our lives, just moments. As we grow in maturity, those moments are no longer “passions” but just moments of enjoyment that we find along our path with the LORD.

Where are you spending your time? Are you seeking out continually the passions of your youth? What if you were to flee from those and sought out the maturity that comes from the LORD, righteousness, faith, love, and peace that He has in your heart where He abides?

With All Your Heart

I have been studying the word “heart” for the past couple of months and through my process, have a few weeks to go. In that time I have written a good amount on the subject of “with all your heart” and this morning is another installment, and really more focused on it.

I am currently reading in Jeremiah and have been led to the passage in chapter 29 titled “Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles” in my ESV Bible. Here Jeremiah is relaying the message of the LORD to the people that He will not abandon them and that he will raise them up again. But, as noted above, I am more focused on the one verse, 13, this morning.

“¹³You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

I was really struck this morning by this verse, and the phrase “with all your heart”. I was reminded that in all that we do with the LORD we are to do so with all our heart, and not just flippantly or ceremonially. I think the word seek and how it is deeper than just looking. Merriam-Webster Online says: “to go in search of”, and where the second part of that definition is: “look for”, the third part is: “to try to discover”. There is work involved, by more than the eyes.

“³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place call Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I go over there and pray.’” – Matthew 26: 36 (ESV)

When Jesus was facing His crucifixion, He did not pray to the Father where He was at the time. Jesus “went” to “go over there and pray”. He sought the Father, and did not just expect the LORD to come to Him. He went with all of Himself to the Father.

“³⁸The Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.” – John 11:37 (ESV)

Jesus did not just say for Lazarus to rise, as He had every capability to do, he went and sought out the tomb of His friend and was fully there from His heart and mind and body to bring him back to the living. Jesus did all things from His heart and not just to do them because He could. Jesus was all in with all his heart and we should be as well.

I will admit that I am not a very outwardly emotional person. But that does not mean that I am not committed and deeply moved at things. When I commit to something, I commit to it fully to ensure that it is completed and it is done well. I have to remember that commitment is one that should be coming from my heart and not just from my dedication to completing a task. I have to be there with all my heart as the greatest example to me, Jesus, was. We have to be all in “with all your heart”.

How do you approach things? Are you there to complete a task or are you part of the ceremony? What if you approached all things “with all your heart” as Jesus did and we are instructed?

The LORD Will Come and Stay

What does it take for the LORD to come?

“¹³When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (ESV)

We have to earnestly “pray and seek” Him and His Face and “turn from their wicked ways” and then the LORD will come. So it is on us to get the LORD here. It is up to me and my full dependence on Him regardless of the circumstances. I am in charge of turning to the LORD and away from that which is evil. The LORD is always within earshot of me, and will come when I need Him, I only need to call on Him.

I think that we understand that part. Call on the LORD and He will come. But what is it that gets Him to stay with us. Well, it is the humbling of ourselves and surrendering to Him.I can and should call on Him when I need Him, yet it is up to me to reach out to Him and surrender to His glory for Him to come and stay.

“¹⁵Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time” – 2 Chronicles 7:15-16 (ESV)

When I have devoted myself to the LORD, He will come and stay with me. Not just in earshot, but will be there walking with me for my entire journey in this world. I will have Him there to fend off the evil. He will comfort me and guide me and carry me and provide for me and bless me and fully ensure that I am taken care of in this world. It is up to me to turn to Him and away from evil and surrender to Him and he will come and stay with me.

What are you doing to get the LORD to come and stay? Are you keeping Him just within earshot? What if you were to surrender to Him so that He comes and walks with you, comforting you, guiding you, carrying you, providing for you, and blessing you?

Seek the LORD with Your Heart and Find Him

I am a sinner and will always be. I will continue to stray away from the LORD. I will serve idols that are not Him, those that He has created as He created all things.

“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.” – Deuteronomy 4:29 (ESV)

When I need Him, He is there. I only need to seek after Him with my heart. Word choice is so important as I have found and written often. Whereas seeking and looking are synonyms in the English language, they hold very different meaning in Hebrew. Seek in Hebrew is earnest and diligent search where look is searching for the tangible. As we know, God is not tangible. He is omnipresent, and omniscient, and as such is not a physical thing to find.

Moses in the passage is instructing the people of the forbiddeness of idolatry. But he also tells the people that they will fall away and that when things get the darkest, God is still there and He will be found when we seek after Him with our heart.

“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. 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 4:30-31 (ESV)

How is it will we find the LORD when we seek after Him with our heart. Because He is merciful. Even as we have fallen away, He waits for us and does not destroy us. He does not forget the covenant He has with us and even as we turn from Him He does not turn on us.

I can get back to the LORD through my earnest search for Him. I can seek Him with all my heart and He will be found because He never left and wants for me to find Him.

What is your idea to find the LORD? Are you looking for Him as some sort of tangible thing? What if you were to seek Him with your heart knowing that He will be found, because He wants to be?

Prepare for Departure

Being a leader is noble and rewarding. It does however carry with it some challenges. One of which is preparing for your departure from the role. It is common for leaders to work right from their installation through their exit from the organization. There are a lot of factors that drive that commonality, but the real thing is that the leaders never prepare for when they are gone from the organization.

It is important, dare I say paramount for the leader to build strength in the organization that is ready to take over and continue the work of that organization when the time comes. There should always be someone on deck to lead with confidence and skill to do so.

The same is said for the spiritual leader. The role of the spiritual leader is to guide people to God’s agenda. Give them the tools that will prompt them to seek the LORD in all things, whether inside or outside the organization. Those that are being prepared should know of and have those influences that come from God, His authentication, have encounters with Him, character/integrity, and preparation. They should be seeking the spiritual maturity that demonstrates continued growth and learning and reliance on God for all. And they should work to bring glory to God always.

I know that I have failed in these areas in the past and may only be in the middle of preparing my family’s successor, but I am working on it daily by doing just what I am doing here. I am in God’s Word, learning and growing in to the man He has for me to be. I am demonstrating to my boys what it means to be the leader of the household and can only do more of the same. At some point I will no longer be here, but my family that comes after me will be prepared to continue. I am preparing for my departure.

What is your view of what comes after you leave? Are you not concerned as you will be gone? What if you were to take the approach that it is your role to ensure that the organization continues to seek the will of the LORD even after you are gone?