Some reflections for your next time alone with Christ… to be closer to Him. Matt 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”
Consider: “What we seek reveals who we are” (Dallas Willard). When we’ve lost our keys, we seek them diligently… right? We ask others if they’ve seen them… search every room… open drawers… get on our hands and knees to look under furniture… retrace our steps… think over when we had them last… check pockets and pour all our energy into finding them until they are located. THAT is what “seeking” looks like.
What are you seeking? Better question from Mt 6:33… are we seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness like we do lost keys?
Practical helps for “Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”:
First… Contemplate seriously the condition of the heart based on what “seeking” looks like.
Second… Contemplate and meditate upon the following Scriptures. Push them deep into your heart:
Josh 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (With Ps 1:1-4)
Prov 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful.
Last… Dallas Willard suggests that these things should move the Christian toward humility, which he describes this way…
Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not or know something you don’t…
Never presume how you should be treated. Be who you are at all times…
Never push. In other words, don’t try to force what you believe to be “right.” Always watch for how God does the “pushing.”