I really like how God's Word overlaps and intertwines. For my blog title, I chose four words that kind of outline the Christian life. As I have looked for verses to explain my blog title, I have found that so many verses explain what my blog title means, and so many of these verses from different places in the Bible tie together perfectly. So, here we go. This is why my blog is called "Seek. Find. Love. Follow."
SEEK
Recently, I have been obsessed with the word seek. God has really placed the concept of seeking on my heart for the past few weeks. The word is a reminder to me that my lifestyle as a follower of Christ is not a passive one. I can't just sit back and let life go by. I have to live life seeking God. This means searching for truth—in the Bible and just in the world God created—because God is the ultimate source of all truth; he is truth. It means letting God and his glory be my reason and purpose for every aspect of my life. It means chasing wholeheartedly after God.
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:11-13
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. -Matthew 7:7-8
FIND
God promises multiple times in the Bible (some are above) that those who truly seek after him will find him. This is such a beautiful promise. Recently in my life, I have just been seeking after truth and understanding, in interpreting God's Word as well as in pursuing God's plan for my life. I have been seeking him and praying that he will allow me to read his Word with fresh eyes and see the truth rather than only what I have always heard. I want to know God's truth rather than cultural truth. I have also been seeking him and praying that he will make his will clear to me. It is so comforting to know that God promises that his plans are good and that those who seek him will find him. I may be impatient and want to find truth and make decisions quickly, but I know that God is faithful in keeping his promises and that I will find when (or if) he wants me to find.
LOVE
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. -1 Corinthians 13:13
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. -Romans 12:9-10
It's really cool how the words in my blog title intertwine. The way I understand and experience it, as I seek and find God, I love him and his people more and more. I didn't put all of 1 Corinthians 13 on here, but if you want a great definition of love, find it and read it. As the Bible says, without love, every action is meaningless. In my own life, I have realized that I, as a human being, cannot truly love without at least somewhat grasping the love of Christ. As I began my journey as a follower of Christ, I started to realize how selfish and unloving I could be, even though I really wanted to love people as Jesus did. Sometimes, however, I just didn't feel love toward people, from people in need to people that just got on my nerves. As I have grown in my relationship with God, I have learned that I can change my thoughts, but only God can change my heart. I can want to love people and think that I do love people, but really only a heart change from God can cause me to show sincere love. As I have noticed my lack of love and passion for people that God loves (all people!), I have prayed asking God for a love for his people. It really is amazing what praying in faith can do. I am in no way perfect or full of undying love for all people on earth, but I can definitely say that I have a greater love for God and for people than I did a year ago. This kind of feeds into my next word...
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. -John 15:9-14
6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. -2 John 1:6
5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God[a] is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. -1 John 2:5-6
FOLLOW
1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart—
3 they do no wrong
but follow his ways. -Psalm 119:1-3
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. -Matthew 4:18-22
23 Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me...." 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." 62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." -Luke 9:23,57-62
Like one of the verses above says, we show that we love God by obeying what he commands. Another one of the verses says that love is walking in obedience to his commands. As my seeking and finding God causes me to love him more, I desire more to follow him. If I haven't gotten this across already, I love the way these four words and concepts (seek, find, love, follow) intertwine throughout the Bible. The desire to follow God stems from a love for him that grows as I seek and find him. I don't live the same way I did when I was little, "following the rules" because I wanted to avoid trouble. Now I live my life (the best that I can) according to God's Word because he is glorified when I obey him. I want to do a mini word study quickly here...The word "follow" is used 435 times in the NIV version of the Bible. I think I'll just discuss a few of them, but here we go...First, when Jesus calls his future disciples from their fishing (their source of income) and their families, they immediately follow him. That is pretty amazing. The men have no idea who Jesus is, but they just leave everything behind and follow him. However, we have the Bible and we have all the people before us that have given their lives to the advancement of the Gospel, but we still question Jesus when he tells us to follow him. How I pray that my first response to whenever I know Jesus is calling me to do one thing or another will become less like the response of our selfish society and more like the quick obedience of the fishermen. Later on, in Luke 9, Jesus tells his disciples that if they want to be his disciples, they must deny themselves, take up their crosses daily, and follow him. That's pretty intense. Think about it. People who are not followers of Christ (and oftentimes even we who are) are focused on themselves for the most part. Life for them is about doing what makes them happy. I'm not saying every non-Christian is an egotistical jerk, but what I mean is that people who are not followers of Christ would think Jesus' command to deny self and follow him is crazy. Self-denial is not normal. In today's society, no one wants to be inconvenienced, and most people even courteously don't inconvenience others. Self-denial is about laying aside my desires and taking on whatever God has for me, even when it's inconvenient, even when I'm "busy." Self-denial is about loving Jesus more than my reputation or earthly success. Self-denial is literally denying self; it's forgetting what my sinful and selfish nature wants and following Christ wherever he leads. Also, at the end of Luke 9, Jesus has some harsh responses for men who claim they want to follow him but have some other (seemingly important) things to do. This passage is so convicting. Basically, Jesus says that when you follow him, he is all that matters to you. The advancement of the Gospel trumps all. Now, I'm certainly not saying that we should live our lives preaching on street corners; actually, in our society that's not very effective. Nevertheless, this passage in Luke means that if we want to follow Christ, our lives are all about advancing the Kingdom of God. That means that Jesus is the reason for everything we do; our lives in their entirety are evidence of our love for him. Following Jesus is clearly not as easy as our American churches often make it. Following Jesus is actually hard. Jesus even warns us of the difficulty of following him, but somehow our Gospel becomes more about Jesus making us happy than God's great love for us leading us to love and therefore obey him. If someone were to examine your daily life, would it be obvious to them that you love Jesus?
So, in case it hasn't hit home yet, seek God wholeheartedly, and you will find him. As you find God and come to know how great he is, your love for him will grow, and it will compel you to follow him in obedience. I pray that God will put an undying desire in your heart to know and love him. Thanks for reading this SUPER LONG post!
SEEK
Recently, I have been obsessed with the word seek. God has really placed the concept of seeking on my heart for the past few weeks. The word is a reminder to me that my lifestyle as a follower of Christ is not a passive one. I can't just sit back and let life go by. I have to live life seeking God. This means searching for truth—in the Bible and just in the world God created—because God is the ultimate source of all truth; he is truth. It means letting God and his glory be my reason and purpose for every aspect of my life. It means chasing wholeheartedly after God.
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:11-13
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. -Matthew 7:7-8
FIND
God promises multiple times in the Bible (some are above) that those who truly seek after him will find him. This is such a beautiful promise. Recently in my life, I have just been seeking after truth and understanding, in interpreting God's Word as well as in pursuing God's plan for my life. I have been seeking him and praying that he will allow me to read his Word with fresh eyes and see the truth rather than only what I have always heard. I want to know God's truth rather than cultural truth. I have also been seeking him and praying that he will make his will clear to me. It is so comforting to know that God promises that his plans are good and that those who seek him will find him. I may be impatient and want to find truth and make decisions quickly, but I know that God is faithful in keeping his promises and that I will find when (or if) he wants me to find.
LOVE
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. -1 Corinthians 13:13
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. -Romans 12:9-10
It's really cool how the words in my blog title intertwine. The way I understand and experience it, as I seek and find God, I love him and his people more and more. I didn't put all of 1 Corinthians 13 on here, but if you want a great definition of love, find it and read it. As the Bible says, without love, every action is meaningless. In my own life, I have realized that I, as a human being, cannot truly love without at least somewhat grasping the love of Christ. As I began my journey as a follower of Christ, I started to realize how selfish and unloving I could be, even though I really wanted to love people as Jesus did. Sometimes, however, I just didn't feel love toward people, from people in need to people that just got on my nerves. As I have grown in my relationship with God, I have learned that I can change my thoughts, but only God can change my heart. I can want to love people and think that I do love people, but really only a heart change from God can cause me to show sincere love. As I have noticed my lack of love and passion for people that God loves (all people!), I have prayed asking God for a love for his people. It really is amazing what praying in faith can do. I am in no way perfect or full of undying love for all people on earth, but I can definitely say that I have a greater love for God and for people than I did a year ago. This kind of feeds into my next word...
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. -John 15:9-14
6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. -2 John 1:6
5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God[a] is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. -1 John 2:5-6
FOLLOW
1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart—
3 they do no wrong
but follow his ways. -Psalm 119:1-3
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. -Matthew 4:18-22
23 Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me...." 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." 62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." -Luke 9:23,57-62
Like one of the verses above says, we show that we love God by obeying what he commands. Another one of the verses says that love is walking in obedience to his commands. As my seeking and finding God causes me to love him more, I desire more to follow him. If I haven't gotten this across already, I love the way these four words and concepts (seek, find, love, follow) intertwine throughout the Bible. The desire to follow God stems from a love for him that grows as I seek and find him. I don't live the same way I did when I was little, "following the rules" because I wanted to avoid trouble. Now I live my life (the best that I can) according to God's Word because he is glorified when I obey him. I want to do a mini word study quickly here...The word "follow" is used 435 times in the NIV version of the Bible. I think I'll just discuss a few of them, but here we go...First, when Jesus calls his future disciples from their fishing (their source of income) and their families, they immediately follow him. That is pretty amazing. The men have no idea who Jesus is, but they just leave everything behind and follow him. However, we have the Bible and we have all the people before us that have given their lives to the advancement of the Gospel, but we still question Jesus when he tells us to follow him. How I pray that my first response to whenever I know Jesus is calling me to do one thing or another will become less like the response of our selfish society and more like the quick obedience of the fishermen. Later on, in Luke 9, Jesus tells his disciples that if they want to be his disciples, they must deny themselves, take up their crosses daily, and follow him. That's pretty intense. Think about it. People who are not followers of Christ (and oftentimes even we who are) are focused on themselves for the most part. Life for them is about doing what makes them happy. I'm not saying every non-Christian is an egotistical jerk, but what I mean is that people who are not followers of Christ would think Jesus' command to deny self and follow him is crazy. Self-denial is not normal. In today's society, no one wants to be inconvenienced, and most people even courteously don't inconvenience others. Self-denial is about laying aside my desires and taking on whatever God has for me, even when it's inconvenient, even when I'm "busy." Self-denial is about loving Jesus more than my reputation or earthly success. Self-denial is literally denying self; it's forgetting what my sinful and selfish nature wants and following Christ wherever he leads. Also, at the end of Luke 9, Jesus has some harsh responses for men who claim they want to follow him but have some other (seemingly important) things to do. This passage is so convicting. Basically, Jesus says that when you follow him, he is all that matters to you. The advancement of the Gospel trumps all. Now, I'm certainly not saying that we should live our lives preaching on street corners; actually, in our society that's not very effective. Nevertheless, this passage in Luke means that if we want to follow Christ, our lives are all about advancing the Kingdom of God. That means that Jesus is the reason for everything we do; our lives in their entirety are evidence of our love for him. Following Jesus is clearly not as easy as our American churches often make it. Following Jesus is actually hard. Jesus even warns us of the difficulty of following him, but somehow our Gospel becomes more about Jesus making us happy than God's great love for us leading us to love and therefore obey him. If someone were to examine your daily life, would it be obvious to them that you love Jesus?
So, in case it hasn't hit home yet, seek God wholeheartedly, and you will find him. As you find God and come to know how great he is, your love for him will grow, and it will compel you to follow him in obedience. I pray that God will put an undying desire in your heart to know and love him. Thanks for reading this SUPER LONG post!
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