God-consciousness
“But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 NASB
Seek – The word used in this quotation from Yeshua means “to deliberately strive and desire something as an act of the will.” It is the Greek verb zeteo. Here the context implies putting your whole life at the disposal of God’s rule and will so that nothing takes greater priority. This meaning carries over the Old Testament idea that seeking God is an activity of the whole being, not simply an intellectual pursuit. Everything that comprises who we are is to be offered as a living sign of complete surrender to the pursuit of God and His kingdom. God-consciousness must be the ethos of life.
This verse tells us that whenever we consciously commit ourselves in utter abandonment to God’s will, He faithfully cares for our needs. In the previous verse, Yeshua simply says that God knows exactly what we need and we can have every confidence that He will provide for us when we surrender to Him. This is the essence of life in Christ. We could never do it alone, and we could never do it by just giving up. We had to surrender something to someone. We had to give ourselves completely to our powerlessness and let God do what only He could do. We didn’t know we could change until we gave up trying.
Most people who are able to recognize the element of denial in their own lives clearly understand the need to surrender to the care of someone else. But we still don’t. We don’t do what we intellectually know must be done because we are not intellectual robots. We are emotionally driven, embodied persons and most of the time it is our emotions that have the last word in our decisions. We don’t surrender because we are afraid. First, we are afraid because we are unsure about what will happen. We want control (isn’t that what addictive behavior is really all about?). Surrendering means giving up that control, even if it is illusory. Secondly, we are afraid because our emotional lives hunger for care and contentment and we don’t trust God to give these. He might forgive us, but forgiveness is little comfort if it leaves me in the valley of agonizing toil and hopelessness. I need to feel His love, not simply know it as some theological construct.
Seeking is a very strong word. It isn’t just “looking around” or “checking it out”. It is fervent hunting. Every parent knows what this word means. It is the intensity of looking for a lost child. Nothing else matters until that child is found. We are consumed with looking.
When your life is consumed with looking for God, God will find you. And you will be completely cared for. Jesus said it another way. “Happy the ones who are desperate for God because God arrives for them”.
Topical Index: seek, zeteo, God-consciousness, Matthew 6:33
“Happy the ones who are desperate for God because God arrives for them”.
From your book, the backwards beatitudes. I’m not one to read books about the bible (I’ve learned it can be downright dangerous) and this is the first one I’ve read in a number of years. However, I would highly recommend this one to anyone. One of the things I greatly appreciated was the method of study that is made evident in the writing of the book. I came to this way of studying scripture quite by accident (?? 🙂 ) and am convinced that it’s the only method avalible to us for getting to the very heart of God’s word. Good word Skip, and great book. Keep running.
Hows that for a plug?!!
~ The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after G-d: G-d is not in any of his thoughts ~ (Psalm 10.4)
and what happens when we do not retain G-d in our knowledge? We we do not include Him in our daily activities? when we never thing about Him, the marvelous things He has done? We we do not praise Him for His excellent greatness?- When we become vain in our imaginations and see no need of prayer or praise in our lives? When we (falsely) think we can live independent or apart from Him?
G-d is Light and G-d is love, ( or so the scriptures say..) Without love and without life what is left?
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
To know that YHWH is with us, as we seek diligently to do His will according to Torah ways, is having the right Spirit as Yahoshua and Calev in Numbers 14:6-9, 23, 24 Hebrew Bible, to follow HIM fully, as a joy not a burden.
We/I are such emotional beings; self-control, is certainly to be desired. Thank you Skip, for all these diggings into the Word.