Often in Christian circles we hear much about the idea of seeking. We are told we need to seek the truth, or seek revival, or seek after holiness. All of these concepts are good and right, but they could all be summed up in the seeking of one person: Jesus. There is no truth apart from Jesus (Jn.14:6), there is no revival apart from Jesus (Jn.14:21), and there is no holiness apart from the indwelling life of Christ (1 Cor.1:30). This is a vitally important focus that we must possess if we are to end up where God wants us to be.
You see, truth is perfectly embodied in the person of Jesus – He is God's truth, the revelation of God to us. Jesus said in John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” A few verses later He states, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (vs.36). So is it the truth or the Son that makes us free? And the answer is YES! Jesus is equating Himself with the truth. Living truth is much more than just knowing correct facts, it is believing and obeying Jesus the Truth so that He changes your life!
When it comes to revival, the word means “life again.” But the Bible clearly tells us Christ is our life (Jn.1:4, Rom.5:10, Col.3:4, 1 Jn.5:11-12). He is not just our life when we die, He is our life right now, the source of everything good that we need. And so revival is not a week of meetings at church; it is not when many people get saved or walk an aisle. It is not even when you confess sin in your life. These things can certainly be products of revival, but they are not at the core of what revival is. Revival is the life of Jesus flowing through us unhindered once again.
As for seeking after holiness, understand that it is not possible for us to be holy in our flesh. Holiness is not cleaning up your life by simply adhering to a few do's and don'ts. Any unsaved moralist can do that. Now, let me quickly say that holiness will certainly involve the way we live! But we are not made holy by externals. Holiness is the result of the Holy One flowing through us, and as we yield to Him on a moment by moment basis, we will be under His control and our lives will look right.
The problem with seeking these things without having Christ as the focus and goal is that it always leads us to wrong ideas. We will think that if we possess a head knowledge of the Scriptures then we are ok. We will be seeking some experience of what we think revival will look like, and if that doesn't happen we're disappointed. We will feel we are living holy lives because we're better than the next guy in the other pew. How easy it is for us to believe wrong things when our focus is off ever so slightly!
The Bible is filled with exhortations to seek the Lord – the person of Jesus!
1 Chron.16:11 - “Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face (presence) continually.”
Ps.27:8 - “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”
Is.55:6 - “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.”
Matt.6:33 - “But seek ye first the kingdom of God. . . .”
Phil.3:10 - “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.”
Col.3:2 – “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Heb.12:2 - “Looking unto Jesus. . . .”
God wants us to know His Son, to love His Son, to worship His Son, to trust His Son, to obey His Son – everything revolves around Jesus! Seeking God's face is seeking His presence, to want to be conscious of His presence all the time and His inner workings in our lives. Seeking first God's Kingdom means seeking first the King and everything that pertains to Him! The apostle Paul talked about wanting to know, not just about Jesus, but wanting to know Jesus intimately! When you set your affection on things above, you center your life around the One who is above all principalities and powers. Looking unto Jesus is seeking or depending on Him as our power source and as our goal in life. Truly, Christ is all in all.
If you seek after the truth, and somehow disconnect it from the person of Jesus, you end up with a head full of knowledge. You may have correct knowledge from an academic standpoint, but true spiritual knowledge is personal, intimate, experiential, and focused on the person of Jesus. If you seek for a great revival in your life or church, then you may be waiting for experiences, but missing the One who is already within you. If you seek after holiness in your life, you may end up focusing on a list of externals, instead of simply surrendering to the Holy Spirit who will indeed reveal the fruit of Jesus in you. But when your goal is to just seek Jesus daily, you will find the truth, you will be revived, and your life will bear the image of the holy Christ.
What are you seeking today my friend? Better yet, are you seeking someone rather than something? Salvation is not something, but someone. Holiness is not something, but someone. Revival is not something, but someone. Satisfaction is not something, but someone. When Jesus remains central to us, everything else will take care of itself. That may sound trite, but I assure you it's true.
Be encouraged that when you do seek Jesus, and seek Him wholeheartedly, you will find Him! (Jer.29:13, Matt.11:28-30). God is not playing a game of hide and seek with us, making it really hard for us to find Him. Instead, He wants to be found and He desires that we experience Him as our all. In other words, if you've found Jesus for your forgiveness of sins and home in heaven, then seek Him for your sanctification. If you've found Him as your holiness within, then seek Him as your power for Christian service. If you've come to know Him in that way, then seek Him as your joy in suffering or your peace in turmoil. Seek Him as your ultimate satisfaction in life. You see, our seeking to know Him in a greater measure should never stop, and as we continue seeking Him out of pure hearts, He continues to reveal more of Himself to us.
So happy seeking today! Just make sure you're seeking the right One!