A Man Who Was Seeking God; A God Who Was Seeking Men

Once again we are back at the blog My Morning Meal, written by Peter Corak.

The Bible is so rich in detail. You can return to a story you’ve known since childhood and see something you missed before. Peter has brilliantly done this with a so-familiar story. Click the header below to read at source.

Seeking the Seeker

They were both seeking that day. One, desperately. While the other, however, was just “passing through.”

The desperate one could barely see above the crowd for he was “small in stature.” But the Other saw everyone, and everything, clearly — even knowing the thoughts and intents of the heart. The small guy was a chief tax collector, a sinner, AND was rich — a triple whammy when it came to the pursuit of righteousness. The One who seemingly was about to pass by was the King of kings, the Savior of sinners, the God with whom nothing was impossible, even ushering a rich man into the kingdom of heaven (Lk. 18:24-27). Very different men.

But what Zacchaeus and Jesus had in common is that they were both seeking.

And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, . . . And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

(Luke 19:2-3a, 9-10 ESV)

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. The reputation which had preceded the Teacher from Galilee had rooted itself in the heart of this Roman-serving, countrymen-oppressing, little rich man. Whatever he had heard about Jesus, it compelled him to know more. Even if it meant scurrying amidst the crowd, bumping into butts so that he might wind his way towards the tree which would help him rise above the crowd. He was seeking the Seeker.

But when Jesus looked up and saw this “big man” tax collector humbling himself as he precariously balanced above the crowd, putting himself literally out on a limb, Jesus said, “Come down, for I must stay at your house”, as if it had been His plan all along. As if passing through Jericho had always been with the intent of a rest stop at a sinner’s house. For Jesus, too, was seeking the seeker.

I’m sure there’s some theological term or explanation for how someone who is dead in trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1) comes alive enough to seek the Author of life (Acts. 3:15). But, to me, it’s a mystery. The wonder of the Seeker seeking the seeker. Even stirring his, or her heart such that he, or she would find themselves seeking the Seeker.

What so compellingly prompts a proud, little man to so humble himself in order to rise above the crowd, and climb a tree in front of those who despise him? What makes the Son of God humble Himself, take on flesh, be hanged on a tree, and be lifted up before a mob set on deriding Him? Both were seekers. Both were seeking. Both were seeking the seeker.

Amazing! The actions of both men defy comprehension, really. But that the One who was in the beginning (Jn. 1:1), and made everything that was ever made (Jn. 1:3), and holds together everything that is being held together (Col. 1:17), would Himself come to seek and save the lost? Jaw-dropping.

Pretty familiar Sunday School story. Kind of easy to blow by it. But pause, be still, and noodle on it a bit, and it’s enough to send the awe-o-meter off the scale.

Because of His amazing grace. For His soul-seeking glory.

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Bonus link: Here’s another article — from this very morning — where Peter finds riches in another familiar story, this one the story of Esther.

Finding Jesus in the Hurry and the Hustle

Once again today we’re back at Don’t Ask The Fish written by Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary president Dr. Tommy Kiedis who also writes at Leader’s Life and Work. As always, you’re encouraged to click the headers like the one which follows, and read these at their original host sites.

Hope When the Path is Uphill

“You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

— Jeremiah 29:13

I’m beginning to wonder if Jeremiah 29:13 went down with Amelia Earhart. I don’t see it much. I don’t hear it taught, preached, or memorized. On the other hand, Jeremiah 29:11 is as popular as Santa Claus:

““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

— Jeremiah 29:11

Why does Jeremiah 29:11 find its way onto T-shirts, bedroom walls, and coffee mugs? Probably because it speaks to the gracious nature of God. But could it be — just possibly — because it subtly reinforces our desire for life on easy street?

• Prosperity? Yeah, I’m down with that.

• No harm coming my way? Love that idea.

• Hopeful future (my future)? Sure, bring it on!

Jeremiah 29:7 is also trending nicely.

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

— Jeremiah 29:7 ESV

There is an army of church planters and pastors who have taken up the rally cry of Jeremiah 29:7. That’s a good thing. One Westboro Baptist Church is enough. God, give us more emissaries of peace.

But Jeremiah 29:13 is a different story. It is the awkward friend, the out-of-date tie, the book collecting dust on the shelf:

“You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Seeking and searching implies effort. Finding Jesus in the hurry and hustle is hard. Contending for the faith in the face of a tough week, a marital spat, or a world pandemic . . . . Come on! Who wants to put up with that?

We may not want to, but we must.

Read the Scriptures. Study history. The way of Jesus is often uphill, over difficult terrain, and carried out under a cloudy sky. I suspect that is how Jeremiah felt. The man who delivered the promise of “prosperity, hope, and future” walked the road of potholes, hassles, and failure:

• Jeremiah’s parishioners beat him and imprisoned him (Jeremiah 37:15).

• The political officials called for his hide (Jeremiah 38:4).

• Enemies cast him into a muddy cistern (Jeremiah 38:6).

• He walked to Babylon bound in chains with the other exiles (Jeremiah 40:1)

• His ministry was a fountain of tears (Jeremiah 9:1)

So what gives? How come the one who preached “Don’t worry be happy” sang, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen”? For starters, God’s Jeremiah 29:11 promise was, above all else, his prophetic word to his disobedient people wallowing in the land of Babylon.

God would not leave them there. Jeremiah 29:11 was God’s billboard: Better days ahead!

But “better days” does not mean “every day” nor necessarily “this day.” In fact, Jeremiah’s audience would wait 70 years for that promise to become reality.

That kind of delay is okay for people of faith. Walking with God is never about the circumstances. It is always about keeping fixed on the one who sees us through the circumstances, and who rains the sweet fragrance of peace over parched souls.

So we seek him . . . by praying, reading his word, remembering his promises, running to his family, and resting in his presence. He is there no matter our peace or lack of it.

The Apostle John was Jeremiah’s first-century colleague in the faith. John reminds us: Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. It is in remaining in Him (seeking him) that we “find him,” produce fruit, and accomplish more than we ever dreamed.

So what are we to do with Jeremiah 29:11? Well, for starters don’t throw away your coffee mug or paint over the verse. Just add verse 13 to it.

“You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Looking for Satisfaction

Today we join Trenton, Missouri pastor Doug Franklin at a blog whose title says it all: I Refuse to Play Church.  This item appeared on his blog under the title Satisfaction.

Do you ever feel like the old Rolling Stones song “Satisfaction“? The song says, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”

We all have a desire to be satisfied. We search out satisfaction through money, food, relationships, entertainment, jobs, hobbies, exercise, and all kinds of things that are both good for us and bad for us. We have a need to be satisfied and we try different things to satisfy the feeling of being unsatisfied.

No matter what we try we are left singing with Mick Jagger, “I can’t get no satisfaction.” This is because there is really only one thing that can truly satisfy us. The things of this world may give us temporary relief, temporary happiness, temporary highs but, they will never totally satisfy us. The emptiness that each of us have can only be filled by God. There is nothing in all of creation that can satisfy us completely, the stuff will always leave us unsatisfied. Satisfaction comes from the Creator of everything.

Psalm 17:15
“As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”

There is truly only one thing that can satisfy us forever and always. All other things leave us wanting more. They leave us empty. WE will continue to sing over and over, “I can’t get no satisfaction. But, I try. But, I try. I can’t get no satisfaction.”

The emptiness that you feel can only be filled by God. You and I will be satisfied, fully and completely by Christ. Seek him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Seeing Illness as a Blessing

Yesterday’s and today’s items here don’t have any specific scripture references.  I wrote this three years ago at an obvious low point, and thought it might be applicable to someone reading it today; maybe you are that person.  Readers may want to add a scripture verse in the comments that references one or all of the points here…

• Illness forces us to slow down, and that forces us to do the things that really matter, and that forces us to decide what really matters
• Illness forces us to ask God for help on behalf of ourselves, which seems selfish at times, so first we have to apologize for asking
  
• Illness causes us to ask other believers to join in prayer for us, which can be rather humbling
  
• Illness helps us remember others who are suffering, it helps us to identify and empathize with their situation
• Illness – while not necessarily caused by sin -brings us to a wonderful season of self examination and determination to aim for greater holiness
  
• Illness reminds us of our mortality; our material culture has forced us to cling to everything including life itself, but our lives have an expiry date
• Illness has a mellowing, sobering effect on us – some things can become potentially more irritating, but some other things no longer matter as much
• Illness forces us to ask bigger questions; Is God in control? Does He care about the details of my life? Will he intervene in a special way?
• Illness brings into clarity other times we were ill, and reminds us that God brought us through that time
• Illness helps us hear Christian songs differently; “I thank God for the mountains, and I thank him for the valleys…” Can I do that right now?

I’m sure there are other things, too. Most of the prayer requests in our churches are for issues people are dealing with in their physical bodies. Pray specifically for one another. If you are the person for whom this was for today, listen for God’s voice in the middle of all you’re going through.