‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

What does it mean to seek to understand? It means to really listen before we form a thought, an opinion, or a response. Author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says, “Seek first to understand, then be understood.” With this in mind, I want us to really be intentional with listening to God and those He presents in our pathways. Let’s seek God first and listen to Him before we respond. An inaction is also an action so even if we don’t verbally or physically respond, our thoughts and opinions can affect our heart posture. Let’s ask ourselves if our thoughts are Christlike.

In today’s key verse we are told that if we seek God first and all “these” things will be given to us. What are “these” things Matthew is referring to? Take a moment to read the full passage in Matthew 6:25-34 NIV. He is talking about worry. As a water walker, I encourage us to seek to understand when we are stepping out. Often we fall short with worry because we do not see the whole picture, but God does. As we step out today, let’s be kingdom seekers and seek to understand His Righteousness and all that He has to offer us outside of our boats. This leads me to my mantra for 2024, “Be a Kingdom Seeker.”

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the opportunity to think and understand before I respond to You and to others through my thoughts, responses, and actions. Lead me deeper in my Christian faith by being a Kingdom Seeker. Help me to step out of my boat when you present an opportunity. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

The dictionary defines tranquility as “the quality or state of being tranquil; calm.” Let’s Face it, everyday life is full of distractions, busy work, and often chaos. For our sanity, it is important to find moments in our day to seek God and dwell in His presence. If not already in place, it should be a goal for us to have a place where we can find tranquility and peace. A place where we can feel safe to seek and worship God. 

In our verse from Psalms, it says to seek Him in His temple. This could be our church, in our quiet places at home, and even in our service. God is omniscient and His peace surrounds us always.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You that I can seek You and Your peace everywhere and always, forever and ever. Help me to offer Your peace to others in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bonus: When you have about 16 minutes in your day, I encourage you to watch and listen to, “You Will Seek Me and Find Me” by Grace For Purpose Prayers.

1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

God has blessed me with many conformations for my word of the year over the last few months. I will be sharing these confirmations all week. I was reminded of an acronym I created earlier in the year on the word “strength” in which I start off with, “seek,” which is my word of the year for 2024.

Seek

To

Reveal

Every

New

Gift

Through

Him

In addition to our key verse, we find a similar passage in Psalm 105:4 NIV — Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

These verses tell us to look to the Lord for strength. If we look to seek God’s face and bring Him glory in all that we do, we will find all the strength we need. Where are you looking for strength? For me, it is in the gift of His presence, God Winks and the gifts each new day brings. Gifts come in many different forms. Just to name a few, this could be a text from a friend, a beautiful sunset, or completing a hard task. Of course, the most important gift is our relationship with Christ Jesus. As we look ahead to this week, and this year’s schedule, let’s seek God for His strength.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the many gifts You reveal to me. Help me to seek You as the source for my strength. I surrender this week’s and this year’s schedule over to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.