Seek The Source
The Father wants you to have a life of freedom where you flourish and produce fruit. Jesus is the way and as you remain in his word and do the Father‘s will your life will overflow with love.
“When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.” King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.” 1 Kings 10:4-24
What does the blessed life look like to you? Do you ever look at someone’s life and think they have it pretty good? When you think of all the people you know, whose life is most flourishing and producing the best fruit? Have you ever asked what were the secrets to their success?
Solomon’s secret to success came from having the right source. The source was God. God gave him wisdom each day to know what to do. God guided his steps and helped him see. His wealth and worldly possessions all were a byproduct of the wisdom he received from God.
What can we learn from Solomon? Pursue the Lord and let Him supply us with power. Many people get the order of operations out of order. We want the promotion or paycheck before putting in the sacrifice to perfect our craft. We want wealth but have not learned that wisdom is necessary to keep or steward it. Where could you reshape your priorities to help unlock the blessings of the prosperous life that comes through pursuing God?
Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God. Are you seeking Jesus first? Or second, or when you have extra time or space? Solomon sought wisdom and in seeking wisdom received blessing. His life reflected a daily dependence on the Father that produced great fruit.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous” Psalms 1:1-6
Did you notice how David started this song by steering us away from sin? Why do you think that is? David had learned how quickly sin entangles and can lead people astray. David sang of the importance of being careful who surround your life with and whose voice has authority in your life. What a relevant passage for the Fourth of July. Who are you spending time with today? How are they shaping you? How are you reflecting God and shaping them?
David said where you set up roots matters. The blessed person plants themselves by the river. Some people have planted themselves in the middle of the desert and wondered why they’re not getting enough water. Perhaps you need to move today. Maybe you need to plant yourself in a place where water can flow. What needs to change in your life to create a stronger connection to God or others?
One of the critical components of receiving wisdom or living water is creating a connection for it to flow. Some people don’t go to church but complain they do not have community. Some people isolate and then complain they feel alone. You have a part to play. You get to choose whether you are going to plant yourself by the river.
David said blessed is the one who thinks about the word of God day and night. Wisdom and God’s word will have an affect on your life like it did Solomon. As we follow Jesus, God completely flips the script on how we approach everything. Jesus taught us to be generous, self sacrificial, and to serve. He taught us to do God's will. As we do, we build up relationships and bring the kingdom. The blessed life of flourishing life that is found in Christ produces fruit, fills our hearts with the Spirit, and is visible to others.
What do people see when they see you? Are you planted and prospering? No matter where you are on your faith journey, God always has more for you. There is always more that He wants to pour in and through you.
“I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him. Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go… out, and look, you daughters of Zion. Look on King Solomon wearing a crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.” Song of Songs 3:2-11
Notice how the bride did not stay at home and wonder when love would happen. The bride is active, attentive, and seeking. Jesus said seek and you will find. Do you know what happens if you do nothing? Nothing. Do you know what happens if you seek? You find. What step will you take today towards drawing closer to Jesus?
It seems obvious but we each have times in our lives or areas we have been passive rather than pursued the best God has for us. We all fall short but by faith we can step into the blessed life of love. By faith, we can step into the royal carriage that takes us to the banquet feast.
“The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Isaiah 50:4-10
Each of these passages describes a daily dependent on God. Isaiah said morning by morning God instructs me. Think about the pattern of your lives. Are you creating space to hear from God and read His word? Imagine if Isaiah just woke up turned on his iPhone and started scrolling Instagram. Do you think he would be well instructed? Just like David said avoid sin to create space for the Spirit. Would Solomon have been wise if he just did whatever he felt like or did he need to listen to God in order to receive wisdom?
Isaiah said the Lord has given me a well instructed tongue to sustain the weary. God is very intentional about how He gives you what you need so that you can do his will. It only makes sense that God would give a prophet the ability to speak. God will give you exactly what you need if your heart is open to serving Him.
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many…They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray…Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping…Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak…Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs…The men seized Jesus and arrested him…the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus.” Mark 14:3-62
If you get nothing else out of today, learn that the best prayer you can pray is: Father, your will be done. God’s plans for your life are always better than what you can imagine. Do you see how Jesus’ default setting, regardless of His circumstances, was to seek time with the Father and create space to be strengthened by the Spirit. Even as He faced the cross, Jesus demonstrated that the flourishing life is a life of daily dependence that trusts in God.
All of these texts present a contrast between the blessed life of the spirit and the weak life of the flesh. The flesh caused the disciples to sleep, the Spirit led Jesus to pray. The flesh relies on swords, the Spirit relies on the Father’s will. Real freedom is not doing whatever we want; it is becoming who God created us to be empowered by the Spirit and surrendered to His will.
Solomon received wisdom by the Spirit because he sought God. David flourished because he planted himself beside the living water of God’s Word. The bride was led by the Spirit to search until she found the life of love. Isaiah awakened morning by morning to listen for God’s voice, the voice of the Spirit. Every passage points in the same direction: seek God first, abide in Jesus, let the Spirit flow in and through you as you do God’s will, and your life will bear lasting fruit.
The Father desires that you flourish. Will you allow Him to lead you to the blessed life He wants for you? Will you allow His presence to guide your life so it overflows with love, wisdom, peace, and fruit that blesses everyone around you? Will you seek first the Kingdom and commit to being a person of prayer? Will you listen before you speak and depend on God more than yourself.
Today, as we celebrate the Fourth of July and remember the blessing of freedom, remember the greater freedom Christ purchased through His blood. He ushered in the new covenant. Today is a day to remember the sacrifices that Jesus and others have made that we might be free. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.
Celebrate the freedom you enjoy today. Never forget the greater freedom won at the cross and we are to pick up our cross daily. As you abide in Christ day by day, you will discover that the truly prosperous life is not measured by what you accumulate but by how closely you walk with Jesus.