Seek great things for yourself? Seek them not.

Read Jeremiah 45

Jeremiah 45:5
Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them.

When God comes to us, all our lofty dreams and plans have to be put aside. They have to be surrendered to the Lord. But here Baruch was perhaps merely asking for relief and a little creature comfort? Are those great things? Those I thought were legitimate things….

What Baruch was suffering from was perhaps a sense of self-pity and blaming God for adding to his pain instead of relieving his anguish. His thoughts were on himself and turned inward.

What does it mean to seek? To seek something is to look out, search for, hunt and track it down. It is intense, deliberate and totally consuming. If I am seeking my things, then I cannot be seeking God’s kingdom.

God knows that we have needs for things, for comfort and relief. But he wants us to focus on Him.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

God must be our first and our main passion. Other than God, everything else we run after are the great things for ourselves.