God Seekers

""Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you"" (Matt. 6:31-33).

In many ways, the term Christian has become so watered down by the denominations, that it has ceased to mean anything to most of the world. It is a name we wear (as we should), but it is a name many others wear with little or no regard to what it ought to mean. There are ""Christian"" groups involved in all kinds of evil activity, and the world then associates those things with Christianity. How then, do we distinguish between real Christians and pseudo-Christians?

Perhaps one good way is to find those who are truly seeking God. Again, there are many who claim to seek God, but through their actions, it is clear they seek something else (self-gratification, self-righteousness, self-this-or-that), but those who truly seek God will have certain characteristics.

First, they will be humble. One of the most frightening things in scripture, for ""religious people,"" should be the condemnations of Jesus for the ""religious"" of His day, the Pharisees. Those discussions point out the differences between being religious and seeking God. One of the key differences is reflected in their attitude toward themselves. In His parable against self-righteousness (Lk. 18:9-14), Jesus taught of a Pharisee who, in prayer to God, praised himself for all the things he was not and for his ""accomplishments."" In contrast, the tax-gatherer could only offer a simple plea: ""God, be merciful to me, the sinner!"" Jesus said it would be this man, not the great Pharisee, who was justified before God.

The lesson should not be lost on us: when we begin to think we are something because of what we have done (""I attend services three times a week; I never miss a gospel meeting."") or because of sins we have avoided (""I'm not a swindler, unjust or an adulterer.""), we have missed the point of service to God and have forgotten the great debt we owe Him.

True seekers of God will also be concerned with understanding His word. Often, religious people are more concerned with maintaining party allegiance, or even the noble goal of unity, than with conforming to truth. But it is the truth of God's word which will guide seekers in their search. The Pharisees had adopted their own laws (creed?) and had put them above the teachings of God (Matt. 15:1-9). Jesus called this ""vain worship"" as it failed to take into account what God truly wanted.

The Pharisees also lacked a ""big picture"" view which would have allowed them to see that while minute doctrinal details were important, they were less so than trusting God and His mercy: ""Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others"" (Matt. 23:23). Contrast that with David's penitent heart after his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah: ""For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; Thou art not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise"" (Ps. 51:16-17). David's point is not that sacrifices were not important, but that the heart of the one who seeks God is more so. Thus, understanding God's word means more than just being able to recite ""correct doctrine"" at a moment's notice. The true God seeker finds in God's word principles which radically effect every aspect of life. Those principles should inform who we are and how we respond to the world around us.

Another characteristic of the God seeker is a focus on what is important. Paul said, ""If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth"" (Col. 3:1-2). Too often, we stop our reading there and are left with some ""mystical"" idea that we ""always look upward"" (usually said in hushed tones to express how important an idea that is). But Paul goes on to say that such a view informs how we live ""below"" everyday (vv. 5-17). He explains that ""seeking the things above"" means that we remove what is unholy (immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed) from our lives and that we refuse to practice what once identified us (anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech, lying).

The removal of wrongdoing and, more importantly, wrong-thinking is not the end of the matter, either, and Paul continues by describing how the ""chosen of God"" behave (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience). This ""new self"" is deeply touched by the forgiveness of Christ, and this colors his actions with fellow seekers, it colors his worship activities, and it colors his every action as he strives to seek and serve God. In everything, the seeker's life is prompted by thankfulness toward God.

Finally, while not perfect, true seekers of God are moved by their own sins. Too often, religious people excuse sin with an attitude which says, ""Everybody does it,"" but it would be difficult to find such among those who truly want to please God. David describes himself as wounded and unhealthy because of sin (Ps. 38:1-10), and it is clear that it is David's heart which suffers. As one who desired to walk with God, David understood the magnitude and consequence of his sins. Rather than excuses, David pleads for mercy (v. 1). His ""attitude"" is contrasted with that of Saul, who offered only excuses for sin, and sought to ""save face"" when confronted with the consequences of disobedience (1 Sam. 15). Peter's sin caused him to weep (Lk. 22:54-62), and the sins of Saul of Tarsus shocked him into three days of prayer and fasting as he mourned his former life (Acts 9:1-19). The one who seeks God understands that sin destroys his relationship with God, and that is why he is so deeply hurt by it.

It is disturbing to see the name ""Christian"" so poorly used and abused by a society which fails to understand it, but that does not mean that we cannot readily identify those with an earnest desire to seek and serve God. Their fruits will identify them as His ""chosen"" ones, and their attitudes will make clear their focus and their trust in Him.