Seeking Him Isn’t Selfish

Let me guess . . .

You’ve been meaning to make that mammogram appointment for months, but you just can’t seem to find the time.

The last time you had a pedicure was 2014 when your family took that trip to the beach. Never mind that it was ten years ago. 

And you want to sit with Jesus. You really do, but there are just so many needs pulling at you and it all seems pressingly important. 

I understand. I’m a woman too. Experience has taught me that we are built to take care of everyone but ourselves. That’s a beautiful thing. To lay down our lives, practically speaking, for the good of others is a Christlike thing to do. Still, I’m convinced that seeking Jesus is the least selfish thing you can do today. Here are three reasons why. 

1. Your family needs you to seek the Lord. 

You cannot love the people in your life without seeking God. You know this on some level, don’t you? You can’t love your kids like you want to. You can’t love your friends like you want to. You can’t love your neighbor like you want to. The desire is not the issue. We all need to seek Jesus daily so that He can infuse us with His love, His strength, His power,and His patience.

In John 15:5, Jesus gives us an inconvenient truth: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

Jesus is love (1 John 4:8). When we live our day disconnected from Him we default to selfishness. We become easily irritated. We put ourselves above others. The grace and truth we receive from His Spirit are a kind of relational manna. We need it every day because we need Him every day. 

You have a joy leak. You have a love leak. You have a righteousness leak. You have a peace leak. Because you are broken by sin. We all are. Good news! God has no such leak. And when you seek Him, He will fill you. 

Your family and friends desperately need you to seek the Lord because as you do, He will transform you into a woman who loves as He loves, gives as He gives, and lays down her life as He laid down His life.

2. Your church needs you to seek the Lord.

The Apostle Paul taught us to think of the people of God like a human body (1 Cor. 12:12–27). We are interconnected and interdependent. There is no spleen in the Body of Christ. 

You think if you stop reading your Bible, we won’t notice. We notice. You think if you stop coming to church, we won’t notice. We notice. You think if you stop serving in Jesus’ name, we won’t notice. We notice. And when you get outside of the habits of the Christian life, the enemy will try to convince you that we don’t need you. We need you. 

Seeking the Lord is not a solo sport. Yes, we all have individual relationships with Jesus, but we seek Him together. 

It’s true that you are but one cell in the ginormous organism that is God’s people, but cancer research has taught us plenty about the devastation one rogue cell can unleash on the body. For the sake of the saints and the furtherance of our gospel mission, we’re counting on you to seek the Lord. 

3. Our world needs you to seek the Lord. 

Try to imagine if all of the followers of Jesus were suddenly taken out of the world. Picture no Christians in government, healthcare or education. Imagine no Christians writing books . . . no Christians running non-profits. Consider what it would be like if no believers were calling the lost sheep back to the Shepherd. 

Devastating!

Now try to imagine all of the ways we push back against the darkness as we seek the Lord. 

What crises have been avoided because God’s people pray? What lives have been spared because Christians seek the Lord for protection and mercy? What compromises have not been made because God’s people read their Bibles and stand up for what is true?

Yes, there is a prince of this world (Eph. 2:2) and he is busy. His goal is to kill and destroy (John 10:10). It is also true that as God’s people continue to seek Him, we bring light to the darkness, life where death would otherwise reign. 

Consider the prophet Jeremiah’s words to God’s people as they were forced to live in a godless culture. 

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, emphasis mine). 

If all of the Christians disengage, things will get very dark, very quickly. We want God to bless our nation and our world because until we reach the New Jerusalem, this is where He has placed each of us to be a light for Him. As we seek the Lord—as we cry out to Him and let Him transform us—as we stand firm on His Word, it blesses the world He has made. And the more we seek Him, the more He sends us to rescue those who are perishing. 

Seeking Him Isn’t Selfish

Seeking Jesus is the least selfish thing you can do. Making time to sit in His Word, to listen to His voice, to be changed by His Spirit, is how you love others well because Jesus wants to love them through you. 

The rhythm of the Christian life is that we seek the Lord and say, “Fill me!” He is faithful to do it. He fills us with His love, power, peace, compassion, mercy, and grace. These are things we cannot manufacture on our own. Then we say, “Lord, pour me out.” Pour me out on my family, my friends, the church, and your world until you bring me home. 

So, yes the dinner needs to be cooked and the laundry needs to be folded. That friend does need your encouragement and the nation needs your prayers. But don’t try to do any of that without getting yourself into the presence of Jesus and drinking deeply from His Word. It isn’t selfish. It’s essential.