Where to Look

But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness  Matthew 6:33

Seek –  God does not play “Hide and Go Seek.”  No matter what the world says about the invisibility and absence of God, He is clearly seen by anyone who knows where to look.  In fact, He goes out of His way to make Himself and His kingdom obvious.  He actually searches for those who are seeking – and meets them along the way.

Only one thing is needed to seek God.  Attitude!  That’s what’s behind the Greek word, zeteo.  It means deliberate action in an effort to find, search for and discover.  This is not lazy curiosity.  This is hard-after chasing.  The same word is used to describe seeking someone’s life, searching for lost money and striving for business profit.  The attitude expressed by zeteo is perseverance.  I won’t give up until I find what I am looking for!

If you’ve examined the attitude behind your motivation to find God’s kingdom, then you face another challenge.  Where to look.  Where would you look to find God’s righteousness?  Jesus, the One Who clarifies the issue about attitude, also gives us the proper place for searching.  Look where Jesus looked.  Simple, right?  Simple that is, until we see exactly where Jesus spent His time unveiling the Kingdom.  If you seek the Kingdom, you will find it among the poor, the downtrodden, the abused, the marginalized, the ignored, the weak, the sick, the imprisoned, the homeless, the disabled and the dying. 

Amazingly, we think we can find God’s kingdom in elegant churches, quiet temples, opulent sanctuaries and comfortable communities.  We look in exactly the opposite places.  We search for His kingdom among the influential and the powerful, among the rich and the famous, among the well-to-do and the polished.  No wonder we can’t find God.  He isn’t wasting His time with those who don’t have a need for dependent humility.

Next time you attend church or go to your Bible study or sit in a theology class, ask yourself where you are looking for God’s kingdom.  If you’re not spending any time with the ones Jesus accompanied, how can you claim to be seeking?  Did you think God would accommodate your repugnance over prisoners by showing up at the country club just for you?  Did you think God wears a Brooks Brothers suit so He will be welcomed at the Board meeting?  Did you think that the pastor who prays for God to be present in the service understands that God is out on the street with the addicts?

Where are you seeking?  (That means action in location).