If You Seek Great Things for Yourself (Jeremiah 45:5)

God told Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, "If you seek great things for yourself, seek them not" (Jeremiah 45:5). As we consider why God didn't want Baruch to seek great things, we can learn why God might not want us to seek great things.

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00:00 Do You Seek Great Things for Yourself
10:30 Lesson One: God might not want us to seek things because (Part One) we seek them for ourselves.
12:22 Lesson One: God might not want us to seek things because (Part Two) they won’t last.
14:41 Lesson One: God might not want us to seek things because (Part Two) they aren’t part of His plan.
22:40 Lesson Two: We should seek great things in God’s eyes.
35:05 Lesson Three: A quiet life is great in God’s eyes.

Why Didn’t God Want Baruch to Seek Great Things?

The Old Testament contains examples from which we can learn (1 Corinthians 10:6 and 11 and Romans 15:4). When we consider why God didn’t want Baruch to seek certain things, we can learn why God might not want us to seek certain things.

God Might not Want Us to Seek Things Because We Seek Them for Ourselves

God said Baruch “[sought] great things for [himself].” Because most people could not read or write in the ancient world, being a scribe was a respected and lucrative profession. More than likely, Baruch had high hopes for position, honor, and riches. He knew if he didn’t serve Jeremiah, he could have enjoyed a comfortable and perhaps even wealthy life.

Maybe we have felt this way at times. If so, we should remind ourselves that this life isn’t about accumulating “great things” for ourselves. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” This was the case with Baruch, and God rebuked him for it. If we want something, and our motivation is to “spend it on [our] pleasures,” maybe God would rebuke us, too.

Motivation is one of the most important considerations when seeking something for ourselves. Why do we want it? Is it to be rich, famous, and powerful, or to serve Christ? In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” If our highest motivation is to “seek first the kingdom of God” rather than “seek great things for [ourselves],” we can be confident we have the right motivation.

God Might not Want Us to Seek Things Because They Won’t Last

God told Baruch He was going to “break down [what He] built, pluck up [what He] planted, [and] bring adversity on all flesh.” God didn’t want Baruch to seek great things because they wouldn’t last! God was going to destroy everything, but he told Baruch, “I will give your life to you as a prize.” Baruch would not get all the “great things” he wanted, but he would get to keep his life.

The same is true for us, not just physically but spiritually. Second Peter 3:10 (NKJV) says, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” The universe as we know it will not last, but we get to keep our lives: “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

God Might not Want Us to Seek Things Because They Aren’t Part of His Plan

Being Jeremiah’s scribe meant giving up great things Baruch wanted, but they might not have been selfish or immoral desires. Maybe he wanted marriage, children, and a normal life. These are part of God’s plan for most people, but they were not part of God’s plan for Baruch. Similarly, we might have desires that are not selfish or immoral and are part of God’s plan for others but aren’t part of God’s plan for us.

Because we have limited time and energy, saying “yes” to one thing means saying “no” to something else. Let me share an example from my life. I coached middle and high school wrestling during my first few years teaching elementary school. When I moved to Lemoore, California, I could only coach the middle school because the high school had a successful coach who had been inducted into the State Wrestling Hall of Fame. He had built an...

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