Seek Me First

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

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

There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.