I once came across this statement: “Seek God, not His blessings.” It literally means desiring God for who He is, not what He can give us. In the statement’s original context, the “blessings” refer to physical ones, such as a good job and health. I’m reminded of how, after His miracle of multiplying food, Jesus scolded His crowd of followers for seeking Him for more yummy but perishable loaves, instead of truly believing His signs as the Messiah (John 6:26).

However, one may wonder: Isn’t our pursuit of God inherently motivated by the hope of receiving blessings from Him? How about the countless Bible verses where God calls us to trust and obey Him while promising various blessings in return?

If we consider this, we’ll realise that the earlier statement is not about forbidding us to desire blessings from God. Rather, it is about seeking the blessings that God wants to give us, instead of the things that we want for ourselves but contradict His will.

What, then, are the blessings that He wants to give us?

If we look back at John 6, we’ll realise that Jesus wants to give us spiritual food that results in everlasting life, this spiritual food being Himself (verses 27, 35).

In other words, the blessing that God wants to give us is spiritual – eternal life, by being connected to Him.

And how does seeking this spiritual blessing look like, in action?

It is praying for the things that Jesus would want us to pray for – such as the ability to hallow His name, keep ourselves from the evil one, and be one with our fellow brethren in Christ (recall the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, and Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17).

Outside of prayer, it is prioritising time to hear God’s words, so that we can sanctify ourselves for eternal life (John 17:17).

It is also valuing the true joy and peace that comes from staying connected to Jesus (John 14:27; 15:11).

So, the bottom-line: align your desires with God’s.

Let us desire and zealously pursue the spiritual blessing that God wants to give us.