Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Pleasing God takes faith in Jesus Christ. When we believe who Jesus is, we will begin to seek God for ourselves. God has not hidden from us, but He has many things that are available to us if we do seek Him. He rewards our seeking; yet, too many of us are content with someone else seeking Him for us and forfeit getting the reward. We follow pastors and teachers allowing them to seek God and try to live fruitful lives off their revelations. It is good, but there is no reward for us in it.
When children play hide and seek, the only winner is the one who seeks and finds the person hiding. Everyone else may discover the knowledge of the hiding spot, but only the one who seeks and finds is rewarded as winner.
We have to be seekers for ourselves. That builds our faith and pleases God. I can hear and read testimonies, when I do it is encouraging to me because I know that God is no respecter of persons. If he did it for the one testifying, He can do it for me too. It is easy though for someone to talk me out of if God will do it for me, because at that point, He hasn’t for me. When I seek God for something for myself and it is revealed to me, it is impossible for someone to talk me out of it. I have seen God do it for me. It builds my faith. It strengthens my testimony so that I can share it with someone else. Then they can be encouraged to seek God to do the same in their lives.
The Bible has a lot to say about seeking, I just took a few to show some of the things that we are called to seek.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
1 Chronicles 16:10 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will 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.
Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
Proverbs 15:14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
Proverbs 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
Amos 5:14 Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.
Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 7:7-8 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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
We are told to seek the Lord, seek His strength, seek peace, seek wisdom, seek love, seek justice, seek good, seek righteousness, seek other’s well-being. As I looked up these scriptures, I was surprise at how many of them repeated from book to book, from Old Testament to New Testament. With the exception of other’s well being, these other things we are told to seek are found in the character of God. No wonder the Bible tells us to Seek Him First.
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