Tag: true life

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John Devotionals

What are you seeking?

John

“What are you seeking?”

That was the question Jesus asked two men who had just left John the Baptist, and were following Jesus from a distance.

At this point, these two men knew almost nothing about Jesus. All they knew was that John had pointed them to Jesus and said, “He is the one you must follow now.”

And so perhaps hesitantly at first, they started following after Jesus. It didn’t take long for Jesus to notice them, and so he turned to them and asked, “What are you seeking?”

They answered, “Teacher, where are you staying?”

Kind of a strange question, don’t you think? Not “Hi, my name is Andrew and this is my friend John, son of Zebedee. Nice to meet you.” But, “Teacher, where are you staying?”

What did he mean by that?

Probably he meant, “We want to be with you. We want to learn from you. We want to follow you. We want to be like you.”

And so Jesus answered, “Come, and you will see.”

How about you? Were Jesus to ask you, “What are you seeking,” how would you answer?

“I need healing.”

“I want a better life.”

Or would you say, “Jesus, I want to be where you are. I want to learn from you. I want to follow you. I want to be like you.” 

Certainly, Jesus wants a better life for you. He wants you to find healing.

But he doesn’t want you to stop there. He wants you to see beyond your own personal needs and desires.

He wants people who desire to be with him, to learn from him, to take on his values and be like him, and who ultimately join him in making a difference in this world. And in so doing, we find what life truly is about.

Life is not primarily about our own personal happiness and satisfaction.

Life is walking with Jesus and joining him in his work to touch a world that is dying. And it’s when we start doing those two things, that we truly find a life that is worth living.

How about you? What are you seeking?

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Luke Luke 6

The problem with self-satisfaction

Luke

After Jesus talked about God’s blessings on those who were poor, he turned his attention on those who were rich and self-satisfied, saying,

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:24-26)

Pretty harsh words. But just as verses 17-21 were not a blanket statement of blessing for the poor, neither is this a blanket statement that condemns the rich.

Rather they were words to people who were self-satisfied. People who were so comfortable, that they gave little if any thought to God, simply because they didn’t feel they needed him.

But for people who feel like that, the time will come when they will realize that all their wealth, all their food, all their comforts, and all their pleasures are fleeting.

One day, they will stand naked before God and he will ask them, “What did you do with my Son?”

And if they have rejected him in this life, they will be condemned for all eternity.

And so will you.

How about you? Do you feel like you don’t really need God. That you have enough to make your life a happy one?

Remember that this life is only 70 or 80 years, if we’re lucky. But after that, we will face eternity, either in heaven, or in hell. And all that you enjoyed here will mean nothing if you have rejected God here on earth.

If you have rejected God here on earth, he will reject you for all eternity in the life to come.

But if you make room in your heart for him, if you give him the throne of your life and make him king, then not only will you have life in heaven someday. You’ll find true life here on earth. For as Jesus said,

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Where do you find your satisfaction? In yourself? In your possessions? Or in having a relationship with the one who loves you and died for you?

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Jeremiah

Seeking what’s temporary. Seeking what’s eternal

Jeremiah

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, was throwing a pity party for himself.

He had delivered Jeremiah’s words to King Jehoiakim, but Jehoiakim merely took the scroll, cut it into pieces, and burned it.

As a result, Baruch was totally discouraged, saying,

Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest. (Jeremiah 45:3)

In short, “Why am I doing this? What profit am I getting from serving Jeremiah and the Lord? I do what they say, and all that ever happens is that I get into trouble.

“I could be doing other things. I could be out there in the world earning money, and becoming rich. I could be doing something that actually amounts to something. Why do I have to subject myself to all this?”

But God responded to him, saying,

This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the land.

Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not.

For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life. (4–5)

What was God saying? Basically he was telling him that this world is temporary. All that we see will ultimately be destroyed.

So don’t seek the things of this world which are here today and gone tomorrow. But seek God and his kingdom.

And while all those who serve themselves will ultimately perish, you will find true life.

Do you get discouraged sometimes about doing what’s right? Do you ever feel like you’re wasting your time serving God? Do you think you’d be better off seeking the things of the world?

Don’t waste your time seeking what’s temporary. Seek what’s eternal. For only in doing so will you ever find true life and true reward.

As Paul wrote,

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)