In the Greek the word zeteo carries a Hebraisms; a moral emphasis attributed to the Hebrews that occurs in another language. It’s important to us because it provides the truth behind something Jesus said that isn’t obvious to us.
Let’s look at what Jesus said in His concluding remarks in His sermon on the mount.
Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
For God it all hangs on the Seek Ye First, but we so frequently hang it on All These Things. Seeking Him first is all about having a relationship rather than coming to Him when we want and/or need something. Corrie Ten Boom asked the question, “Is your prayer life your steering wheel or your spare tire?” She posed a great question. Ask yourself if you steer your life every moment in communion with the Lord or do you just call out when you have a flat?
If we’re walking with Him on a daily basis we can be confident that He knows our needs because He puts a higher value on them than we do. If our focus is on His Righteousness then we can rest assured that His eye is on our needs. That’s why Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, enjoined us to put God before our earthly needs.
Ps 46:10 Be still, AND know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The entire sixth chapter of Matthew is one of my favorites for it puts our lives in clear perspective. We are to “be still” and in our “knowing” we are to seek after the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is here and now and resting within each and every member of the bride of Christ. In fact it is the entire subject of that chapter. During a very difficult time in my life the Lord kept me in that chapter for 18 months and at the end He had instilled in me that the only way to live this life is to constantly listen for His voice, and to do that we have to learn to live “one day at a time.” That, I have learned, is the key to a successful walk with Jesus… a peaceful, Spiritually empowered walk.
Did you ever pause to think that the only glimpse of the Kingdom that some may see could be your life. What view of it will they get? Worry and struggle for the cares of this world or a peaceful spirit resulting from a total dependence upon God for every need? I have experienced both and there is no substitute for the peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:7). It comes when we seek His “Kingdom” and His “Righteousness.”
Zeteo (the verb “to seek”) also reveals something that is very important to us. It not only means to desire or to inquire, it carries something much more important that is revealed by our Hebraisms… To Worship God. Think about that. The way we are to seek His kingdom and His righteousness is to worship Him. If we keep that in mind when we begin our day we’ll find ourselves truly “seeking” Him.
You can learn more about how to walk through this life as the bride of Christ in my series The Way of Enoch, and more about this particular subject in Volume 1 – Your Life In Christ.