SEEK AND SERVE
As David approaches the end of his life here on earth he instructs his son.
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (1Chronicles 28:9)
Life on earth truly begins when man recognizes the true God and Jesus, the true Incarnate. David begins by asking Solomon to acknowledge the true God, made known to the Israelite nation through many generations. Acknowledging God also means that you reject alternatives which are idols taking you away from the truth. It is convenient but not quite logical to say that all religions are true because most are fundamentally contradictory.
Acknowledging God naturally should lead to seeking him. Seeking God is best described as developing a deepening relationship with God. You can know a person superficially or know him well. You can have a distant relationship with a person or live under the same roof with that person. Knowing more of God is understanding him, appreciating more of his love and recognizing his will for your life. Seeking God makes God the priority over all else in your life, which is naturally hard to do in this life where the visible and tangible things of the world take precedence over the invisible things of God.
Serving God can only happen when you seek God and prioritize him. Service requires sacrifice. God’s ministry is that which a person performs expecting no worldly return. Rather, you lose something in the process. And so, a person could be doing what is counted as God’s work by the people around him, but in God’s sight might be worthless because his motive was to accumulate money, fame or power. On the contrary, a person could be spending his time, energy and resources to serve others in deference to the God he serves and that would be counted as valuable ministry in God’s sight. David asks Solomon to serve God with wholehearted devotion and a willing, cheerful mind. This is only possible when a person does what he does expecting reward from the invisible God.
David’s instructions had an impact on Solomon ad he started well. He went on to complete the temple of the Lord and lead the nation of Israel with integrity and wisdom. However, toward the end of his life, his many wives led him astray into idol-worship and he ended up tragically turning away from God. His son continued with his deterioration and subsequently lost the kingdom of Israel.
There is no better formula than ‘seek and serve’ to find fulfilment and success here on earth.
