No Roaming Charges

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  In the cell phone world, coverage is vital.  Vital to good service.  Vital to good reception.  Vital to keeping costs down.  If you have ever had to pay a roaming charge you won't forget it.   It's the shocker cost in your bill that adds up so quickly it blows the cost way out of whack.  Roaming charges occur when you can't get a signal from an approved tower that is part of your network company and they have to tap into another tower to get your call completed with the reception it needs.  It's great to get

the call completed, but the roaming charge is a big downer.  Basically your phone is trying to find a signal, any signal to make the call, and if towers are few in the area you are making the call in, it can get a little expensive when the signal is picked up on a rival company's tower.  In the above scripture Jesus is telling all who were listening to look for God's ways and God's answers in life.  He uses the word "seek" in such a way as to show us we need to be connecting with God and His way of doing things.  That connection is made when we "seek the Lord" and the connection is made immediately as God's towers are everywhere and there are no "roaming charges" to deal with when seeking God.  At times we might ignore the seeking for God thing and try to do things on our own and that is when things fall apart and the direction we are traveling hits a snag.  But still, no roaming charges, as God is waiting for seeking hearts that truly want to follow Him and His way.  When we seek Him, which is a base level way of living our life as a believer, He starts to show us other great truths as a bonus.  Those bonuses take us to a new level of understanding and teach us the importance of seeking Him.  His righteousness is one of those bonuses that come along with a seeking attitude.  It should be our desire to come to know more about God and His righteousness and leave our righteousness behind.  The Prophet wrote in Isaiah 64:6 that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.  What does it mean to truly seek His righteousness?  Read the following story and think about the parallels.

In the Antarctic summer of 1908-9, Sir Ernest Shackleton and three companions attempted to travel to the South Pole from their winter quarters. They set off with four ponies to help carry the load. Weeks later, their ponies dead, rations all but exhausted, they turned back toward their base, their goal not accomplished.

Altogether, they trekked 127 days. On the return journey, as Shackleton records in The Heart of the Antarctic, the time was spent talking about food -- elaborate feasts, gourmet delights, sumptuous menus. As they staggered along, suffering from dysentery, not knowing whether they would survive, every waking hour was occupied with thoughts of eating. Jesus, who also knew the ravages of food deprivation, said,

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for RIGHTEOUSNESS." We can understand Shackleton's obsession with food, which offers a glimpse of the passion Jesus intends for our quest for righteousness.

We are not only to seek righteousness, but we are to hunger and thirst for it.  Which means without it we are left wanting and hungry and thirsty.  Who would want to live a life like that? Not me!!  But so many disciples of Jesus miss the joys of His righteousness and instead of moving to a deeper level with Jesus, feel lifeless and weak in their faith.  We are taught to be self sufficient, but in reality, we should be Jesus sufficient.  Anything less will always end up in defeat and weakness, instead of victory and strength.

It's time to tap into the righteousness that only God can give and get connected to the right power source, and that source is not us.  Lay down your pride and get connected with Jesus by seeking His ways and everything else will be added in to your life.  And guess what?  No roaming charges, cause God's cell towers are everywhere just waiting to hear your call.  1 Peter 3:12 -  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."  He's looking and listening.  Are you seeking?  Time to get going and send that signal up today...

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren