God gave you everything, before you ever deserved it. Before you were born again, He gave you His Son. Before you were saved, he gave you forgiveness. Yet this fact doesn’t relieve you of the responsibility to to seek what God has gladly given. And what does that even mean?
The idea of seeking implies that you must go after something you need, but do not yet have. So you could be forgiven for tilting your head and wondering, Why would I need to seek what God has already given?
Before we get to that, let’s consider the concept of seeking, and how it relates to your existence.
No matter who you are, the desire to seek what you need is something God has built into your DNA. Seeking nourishment is what keeps you alive. Seeking companionship is what solves your alone-ness and gives you joy. Seeking meaningful work is what gives you purpose. Seeking entertainment is how you play, a need God also built into your DNA. The Bible is full of exhortations about what we ought to seek, are meant to seek, and what pleases Him for you to seek — including the following words of Jesus:
But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you.
Luke 12:29-32
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
See God’s heart? These are the words of Jesus, who was fond of telling his audience, “Do not keep worrying about your life. Have faith in your heavenly Father, who will provide all the things you need.”
First, Jesus says, “Seek the Father’s kingdom.” And then He says the thing that still takes my breath away: “…for your Father has CHOSEN GLADLY to give you the kingdom.”
If you’re like me, and you stop at the first part… “seek” …. then you’re thinking work. You’re thinking, “What must I do to earn that?” And then the good news: He already gave it to me.
Your God is a giver with a generous heart.
It just makes me smile. Every time. My Father has already given me his kingdom. He chose to do it before I said a word or did a thing. And it made Him happy to do so!
You are not a beggar. You are the child of a generous Father God, who wants with all of His heart for you to seek what He has freely given to you already. As Pastor Bill Johnson is fond of saying, “God has not hidden these things FROM you, He has hidden them FOR you.”
So what does “seeking” look like?
It DOESN’T look like earning or begging. It begins with believing what Jesus said, with your whole heart. When Jesus asks us to seek after what the Father has already given, He is asking us to have faith. Faith in what God says, faith in what Jesus tells us about the Father’s heart. Faith that makes us reach for the Father in our neediness, not the world. Faith that completely deflates worry and anxiousness.
There is always a personal element to any answer. How you personally seek the Father’s kingdom on any given day in YOUR life and circumstances, is between you and the Holy Spirit. Ask Him in any given moment what is needed for you to seek the Father’s kingdom, and trust that He will show you. He loves to answer such prayers. I’m quite sure it makes the Spirit every bit as happy to guide you to the kingdom as it does the Father to give it you.
