Pursuing God
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The end justifies the means……how many of us have even heard that saying? Probably all of us. The saying itself posits that if the end that we are trying to obtain is justified enough that the how we got there doesn’t matter, or perhaps is of secondary importance. How many of us believe that is true? Can it be true that there is something of such a vital importance for us to pursue that how we get there doesn’t matter? Today we are starting a series called the Right Pursuit. During this series we are going to be exploring the importance of understanding what we are pursuing in life, and seeking after the things of God.
Pursuit or pursue……..To pursue. We can hear this word in relation to a police officer who is in “hot pursuit” of a suspect, or in the context of something that we are pursuing or chasing. When we pursue something, we seek it out, we chase after it. Some people seek after good deals on products or the best rates on hotels and flights. When we pursue something, there is an intentionality to what we are doing. It doesn’t happen by accident. In most contexts thatw e are discussing pursuing somethign it carries with it a context that we are looking for or chasing after a thing to the exclusion of other things around us.
“Well, that’s time I’ll never get back!” We might say this phrase when we have sat through a movie or play we didn’t enjoy or when we feel we’ve wasted our time in an unnecessary meeting at work. We know that time is precious, so we want to spend it on the right things, pursuing things that bring us joy and/or life.
What Should We be Pursuing
What Should We be Pursuing
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
The word for “seek” as found in both of these verses is zētéō. and this is a wrod that can be translated a few different ways, but most oftne as it is used here in Matt to seek. The definition here for this word zētéō is: seek, look for; investigate, examine, consider, deliberate; strive for, aim (at), try to obtain, desire, wish (for); ask for, request, demand
This word Zeteo and the idea of things that we should seek or pursue is one that finds a lot of screen time in scripture: The seeking of God in prayer in Mt. 7:7ff. S, the seeking of things above (Col. 3:1), the seeking of the great goal of life (Mt. 13:45), the seeking of justification (Gal. 2:17). ... In Hebrews the OT saints seek a heavenly country (11:14) and Christians an eternal city (13:14).
Christ through His word calls us to seek Him and to seek His face. And lest we think that this is a sideline or a lesser calling, maybe somethign that we are to do as an aside to the things of life, let me give you another well know usage of zētéō that you may be familiar with
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
Can you imagine the intensity of the shepherd looking for that lost sheep. Can you possibly understand the intensity of our Savior as he was searching for ou nwhen you were lost, and the lengths to which he was willing to go to see you found. That intensity is what scripture calls for us to use in our zētéō seeking of Christ?
At What are We Succeeding?
At What are We Succeeding?
We used the example of a bad movie and the waste of time that it represented....time that we will never get back.
No one likes to waste their time. In our life with God, it should be the same. Tim Kizziar said, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure ... but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter”. Life is about knowing God and reflecting his will in the world. “There’s a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him. ... Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord”
Imagine being lost in a vast desert. You are thirsty, hot, and in need of help. As you walk through the dunes of sand, you see something in the distance: a pool of water with vegetation around it. Your direction turns to seeking out the oasis. But as you continue to walk, you realize that the oasis you sought was a mirage. Disappointment and frustration sink in when what we seek is not what is important or is only an illusion of what we truly need.
Some of us are seeking thinkgs in life and are placing our zētéō our pursuit, our focus, our energy on things that don’t matter.