Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Tuesday, March 9, 2016
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, And liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, And searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1–5).
Most of us make time for that which either interests us or compels us to act. When we are in pursuit of higher studies, to earn that next degree, we often put family, friends, and other pursuits down a notch on our priority list in order to achieve what we deem success. Many who have hobbies make certain that no matter what else we are doing, we make time to engage those interests. If we are facing home foreclosure, most of us would spend countless hours on loan restructuring attempts, searching for additional income to make up the payment deficits, or beg the finance company for leniency until we get back on our feet. If we have become interested in Mr. or Ms. Right and have discovered some of their interests, many would stop at nothing to get their attention, especially if we have been waiting years to find the perfect partner (at least in our estimation). Those who are determined to be successful in network marketing will hold daily meetings, go to conferences, be told no a thousand times, sacrifice long-time relationships, or whatever it takes to get to the next level in hopes of eventually building generational wealth.
What if the prize is not that degree, home loan, sport, craft, perfect romantic relationship, or shiny little ring and large passive income check? What if a deep knowledge of God is at stake? How fervently are you willing to pursue Him? How much time or effort are you willing to invest in pursuing Him? Truth is, most focus more on things that we hope will satisfy our earthly needs than our eternal wellbeing. Unfortunately, those who fit this description are confused as to why the Scriptures are not easy to recall; why praying seems so hard to schedule in; why their romantic relationships fail; why even their great successes in business fall short of even greater success or contentment. The key seems counter-intuitive. We have to live while on earth, after all. We gotta get ours or be on our grind. Yet today’s proverb says that if we seek for wisdom as we would search for a pot of gold, we will find the knowledge of God and reverence for Him. Jesus said it this way: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7–8). What is the context here? Jesus further states, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33).
The moral of today’s story is that when we prioritize our lives, putting our search for God in first position, we will have an intimate knowledge of Him, reverence for Him, and all the earthly things God knows are for our best good. So the focus is to follow hard after God. When we do so, there is no good gift that He will withhold, whether temporal or eternal, if it will bring Him glory through our lives. Invest your efforts in seeking God’s face, rather than expending your time pursuing earthly exploits and the prize will be of inestimable value.
