Great Things for Thyself
“And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.”Jeremiah 45:5 (KJV)
Picture someone with a growing business and a big vision: a bigger building, more locations, a name everyone knows. The plans are exciting. But underneath, if they are honest, the real reason is that bigger sounds better and they want to be the one who built it.
God once said something blunt to a man named Baruch, who was serving faithfully in a hard time: “And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not.” The problem wasn’t that great things are bad. It was the for thyself.
Jesus told his followers to count before they build: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” Part of counting the cost is asking whether we should build at all, and who it is really for.
Sometimes the vision we lose turns out to be a weight we were never meant to carry. Growth isn’t wrong. Growth for its own sake, or for our own name, usually is.
Read it yourself
Read Jeremiah 45. What does God promise Baruch instead of great things?
Is there a goal in your work you have never asked God whether you should pursue?
Lord, I don’t want to seek great things for myself. Show me which of my plans are yours, and help me let go of the rest. Amen.