Topical Bible: Seeking God: Includes Seeking: His Kingdom

◄ Seeking God: Includes Seeking: His Kingdom ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

Seeking God is a central theme throughout the Bible, emphasizing the importance of pursuing a relationship with the Creator. This pursuit is characterized by a desire to know God more intimately, understand His will, and align one's life with His purposes. The act of seeking God is both a personal and communal endeavor, involving prayer, study of Scripture, and living a life that reflects His teachings.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible consistently encourages believers to seek God with all their heart and soul. In Deuteronomy 4:29 , it is written, "But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." This verse underscores the promise that God is accessible to those who earnestly pursue Him.

The Psalms frequently express a deep longing for God. Psalm 63:1 declares, "O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body yearns for You, in a dry and weary land without water." This imagery conveys the intensity and necessity of seeking God as a source of spiritual sustenance.

Seeking His Kingdom

Seeking God's kingdom is an integral aspect of seeking God Himself. Jesus Christ emphasized this in His teachings, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:33 , Jesus instructs, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." This directive places the pursuit of God's kingdom and His righteousness above all earthly concerns, promising that God will provide for those who prioritize His reign in their lives.

The kingdom of God represents God's sovereign rule and the realization of His will on earth as it is in heaven. Seeking His kingdom involves living according to the values and principles of God's reign, such as justice, mercy, and humility. It requires believers to actively participate in the mission of God, spreading the Gospel and embodying Christ's love in the world.

Practical Aspects of Seeking God

1. Prayer and Worship: Engaging in regular prayer and worship is fundamental to seeking God. Through prayer, believers communicate with God, express their desires, and seek His guidance. Worship, both personal and communal, allows individuals to honor God and experience His presence.

2. Scripture Study: The Bible is the primary means through which God reveals Himself. Diligent study of Scripture enables believers to understand God's character, His promises, and His expectations. Psalm 119:105 states, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path," highlighting the guiding role of Scripture in the believer's journey.

3. Obedience and Righteous Living: Seeking God involves aligning one's actions with His commands. Obedience to God's Word and living a life of righteousness are expressions of a genuine pursuit of God. James 1:22 exhorts, "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

4. Community and Fellowship: The Christian community plays a vital role in seeking God. Fellowship with other believers provides encouragement, accountability, and opportunities for collective worship and service. Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages believers to "spur one another on to love and good deeds" and to "not neglect meeting together."

Challenges and Encouragement

While seeking God is a lifelong journey, it is not without challenges. Distractions, doubts, and worldly temptations can hinder one's pursuit. However, the Bible offers encouragement and assurance. Jeremiah 29:13 promises, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." This assurance motivates believers to persist in their quest, trusting that God is faithful to reveal Himself to those who earnestly seek Him.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 6:33
But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 12:31
But rather seek you the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added to you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Anxious About Earth, or Earnest About the Kingdom
... but the religious way of looking at nature includes and transcends ... of being ruled
by the will of God, is to ... They are seeking as their chief good what He desires ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/anxious about earth or earnest.htm

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God," &C.
... If ye seek not this kingdom as the one thing necessary, and your seeking proclaim
that ye account it so ... But this kingdom of God also includes the kingdom ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xviii but seek ye.htm

The Law of Precedence in the Kingdom
... The reception includes all forms of sympathy and aid. ... here is to show the importance
of the little ones as the objects of the seeking love of God, and as ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the law of precedence in.htm

How to Pray
... is more than to ask, for it includes active exertion ... Asking and seeking must be
continuous if they are to be ... Nor is it true about God's lower gifts, which are ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/how to pray.htm

Forms of Prayer. --The Lord's Prayer; Its Occasion and Import. ...
... Even the "seeking," the longing of the soul, that ... Deistical notions of the relations
between God and creation. ... chief good of the Christian, includes all other ...
/.../section 139 forms of prayer the.htm

Submit Yourselves Therefore to God. James 4:7.
... true acquiescence in God's moral law includes actual obedience ... to seek holiness or
obedience to God, and to ... is a very different thing from seeking supremely our ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/submit yourselves therefore to god.htm

Discourse on Spiritual Food and True Discipleship. Peter's ...
... Humanity, in seeking to answer this question, has invented ... and find in it reconciliation
with God if he would ... the thought and shows that it includes more than ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxiv discourse on spiritual food.htm

Thirtieth Day. The Unction from the Holy One.
... be at the call of sinners seeking their God ... intelligent and most willing, approval
of His blessed will. ... They shall be all taught of God,' includes every believer ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/murray/holy in christ/thirtieth day the unction from.htm

Divine Support and Protection
... Nor is such a repentance, as includes a change of ... He will pursue them, like a lion
seeking his prey (I ... hatred; for the Scripture styles him the god of this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 2/sermon xlv divine support and.htm

His Freedom from Sin.
... of not sirning,[22]22 which includes the opposite ... vain for the faintest trace of
self-seeking in his ... God's holiness and his experience of God's redeeming grace ...
//christianbookshelf.org/schaff/the person of christ/his freedom from sin.htm