Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
This passage of scripture encourages us to put God first in our affections and desires. Seeking God daily should not be done as a mere duty, but it should spring from an ardent desire to seek His face for communion, guidance, instruction and the courage to face life's uncertainties. When God is put on the back burner, meaning that we seek Him only when it is convenient to do so, our lives can never be guided in right paths, and try as we might to get it together, it will always crumble in one area or the next. The reason for this is that we are not self-sufficient beings, and without God we cannot even exist, even though many people do not know or acknowledge this fact. Let's read:
Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
As our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, it follows naturally that we should have God at the top of our priorities, rather than somewhere down the middle or near the bottom. The Bible recounts the sad history of a time when the Israelites were without God, in that they didn't think it of any great importance to have Him first in their affections. The baleful results are recorded for our admonition so that we do not repeat the very same mistakes. Let's read:
2nd Chronicles 15:3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. 5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. 6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.
These verses should be interpreted correctly lest we come to the erroneous conclusion that God did bad things to them because they did not seek Him. The Bible tells us that there are only two masters operating within the domain of the human heart, and thus the experiences we go through with their attendant results are directly tied to whomsoever we serve. When God is not first in our affections, then satan becomes the ruler of our lives by default, and he does not have the ability do do us any good, for there is no good in him.
However, when God is placed first, when we give our lives entirely and unreservedly to Him, everything else just seems to fall into its rightful place, and even though we are not invulnerable to the assaults of the devil, yet we have a mighty fortress in the Eternal God who never ever leaves us, but rather goes through our varying experiences with us, so that by His omnipotent power, we can live victoriously. Let's read:
Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
These and other like passages of scripture should serve as a guide to all intelligent minds, that it makes perfect sense to have God at the top of our priorities. In our day we seem to be fighting a losing war over the many social and spiritual issues that are plaguing modern society. We are losing the war on drugs, we are losing the war on cyber security, we are losing the war on morality, we are losing the war on marriage, since approximately half of them end in divorce. Furthermore we are losing the war on sexual promiscuity, in addition to a host of other social ills such as violence in schools and irresolvable tumults amongst the nations.
The answer to our seemingly insurmountable problems is having God first in our affections, for time has proven that all man-made methods of solving problems without God, always end in utter futility. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us to make the right choice, and if we do, the other issues that need resolve will be taken care of. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
May God be first in every area of our lives now and forever. God bless!