Seek Him

The Amplified Bible translation of Zephaniah 2:3 says, 
"Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life], 
All you humble of the land
Who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments;
Seek righteousness, seek humility [regard them as vital].
Perhaps you will be hidden [and pardoned and rescued]
In the day of the LORD's anger."

That is some very strong wording.  "Search diligently," not just a half-hearted look, but  "as the foremost necessity of your life."  Do we think of the Lord as our foremost necessity?  Most of the time, as I look around observing people, you would think that our cell phones are the foremost necessity of our lives.  Think about it.  When you lose your phone, do you panic?  Drop everything to look for it?  Hunt high and low until you find it?  Feel great relief and joy when you do succeed in finding it?  It is very sad that we would search for our lost phone with more diligence, care, and enthusiasm than we would seek the Lord.  That, my friends, screams of idolatry.  

What about righteousness and humility?  Do we "regard them as vital?"  Do we even know what they are? Here, righteousness is a relational word showing that the two or more in the relationship are faithful to each other's expectations.  Humility or meekness, here, means modesty or gentleness, basically the opposite of pride.  So we are to regard as vital two things: 1.) being in a relationship with God while being faithful to His expectations and 2.) modesty and gentleness.  These are only attainable through the Holy Spirit's work in us.  We cannot make these character changes on our own.  But we do have to cooperate for them to happen.  That means we need to be in relationship with the Lord - seeking Him as our foremost necessity in life.  So, we are back to the beginning.  Seek Him!

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