Before we come to Christ we find ourselves constantly searching for many things — success, money, fame — and the world continually tells us to look for more. But God’s Word says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The idea is simply to look for God… and He’s right there! But in order to find Him, we must turn from the worldly things we are seeking and set our eyes on Him. For He says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
The brain only pays attention to what you’re looking for. If you’re not looking for it, you won’t see it. The same is true for God. When you seek Him, you will find Him. As Christ-followers, we need to be earnestly and continually seeking God. Look to God for guidance and strength in every situation of life. Look to God in your marriage — how to be the best husband or wife. Look to God as you raise your children — how to raise your kids to know and follow Christ instead of all the things the world tells them to chase after. Look to God in your career — how to glorify Him from the platform you’ve been given. Look to God in your community — how to share Christ with those He has placed around you. Every morning when we wake up we have to seek God’s face and say, “God I need you to guide every step I take because when I walk out of these doors, the world and Satan are going to be busy. I need to be able to see You. Show me the way and give me the strength to walk in it.”
We can easily make really good things our idols. We can make marriage, our children or even ministry our idol, becoming so ambitious about these things that we neglect to worship and serve God first and foremost. None of these things are bad in themselves, but we need to ask ourselves if we are seeking God first.
There is freedom when we look at Him to be our strength. He takes away our need to find our identity in our accomplishments. When I’m seeking the Kingdom of God and then look up, I see all the fruit that comes from it — my marriage is healthy, my kids are seeking God for themselves, my heart is full and content in His presence, and the weight of the world is gone! There is so much freedom when we look to Him because He’s only asking us, “Give it to Me.”
Last year I was going through a rough spot and God gave me the most beautiful picture of Him being the Master Artist and us being His paintbrush. We’re just a paintbrush. A paintbrush on its own can’t paint any pictures — it can’t dip itself in paint, it can’t orchestrate any strokes, it has to have the hand of the artist in control. A lot of times we think of ourselves as the artist, but we’re not. We just need to rest in God and let Him create the picture that He wants to paint. He can see the whole canvas; we can only see the small strokes He’s using us to color.
We all want to be free. Everyone in our world is chasing freedom but what does that really mean? True freedom in Christ allows us to relax, to be ourselves, and to find true purpose and meaning in His master plan. God’s plan is so miraculous and so beautiful that we can’t possibly see it and think that it was of our doing. When we look around at all that is good and realize we had nothing to do with making it all come about — that He alone is the One who orchestrates good things — we will humbly and joyfully submit to His will. His goodness draws us in, causing us to seek Him in a deeper, richer way. When we acknowledge and partake in His glory, His power will bring others to want to seek Him as well.
— Demario Davis, New York Jets linebacker
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