Seeking His Love or His Loaves?

I’m from a big family of eight, locally known by our family initials (the B.K family). We’ve been brought up to live a God-fearing life. Hanging on the wall in the sitting room of our house is a wood carving with the words ‘The B.K. family, a family of God’, and a poster ‘a family that prays together, stays together’.

Many years have passed, and I’m realising now that those were not just wall decorations, but prayers and declarations. We’re all married now, apart from my younger sister, and we’re settled in different places, far away from each other. But the amazing thing is we’re still a family, and occasionally have a bible study together via a whatsapp group, which includes our spouses. Thank God for technology when you can use it in a godly way.

So recently we were studying the scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17; ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’. What seemed to be highlighted to us was the problem in the Body of Christ, where some people have narrowed down the dynamic power of God, and His vast aspects, into the gospel of financial freedom and physical gain. We have made the Gospel a means to an end, saying “give so that you can receive”. It’s really painful that God’s Word has been misinterpreted to just mean financial breakthrough.

Some people go to Church so that they can improve themselves in terms of health and economical gain. They seem to be extracting the scriptures that work for them and skipping the rest, whereas Paul is saying in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that ‘all scripture is God breathed’. They have diverted from following Christ for the sake of His teaching to following Him for loaves of bread.

So they’re allowing themselves to be exploited by the gospel of prosperity. They no longer go to Church to seek God, but to seek their own interest, appearing before God when they need Him to give them economic power or any other need. They no longer seek Him to worship Him for who He is. They have been chained with the very gospel which was meant to set them free.

There’s more to life than getting worldly possessions. They aren’t bad, but let’s follow the principle of Mathew 6:33, seeking first the Kingdom and the rest will follow. It says in Matthew 2:2 ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him’. ‘To worship Him’ should be what drives us to seek Him.

Paul says, ‘I have strength for anything through Him who gives me power’, (Philippians 4:13, Weymouth New Testament). In other words, what you have is powerful to do all that you want, in His will.

Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive me, if I’ve been seeking You from wrong motives rather than being ‘after Your own heart’. Help me to seek the true gospel of repentance, holiness and righteousness. Give me strength to remain true to Your calling, in Jesus’ name. Amen.