Day 8, Year 1 Seeking Immortality, and Reaping Eternal Life

… “Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality.” (Romans 2:7 NKJV)

“Glory” in today’s verse, doxa in Greek, also means “most exalted state, majesty which solely belongs to God.” Together with “honor” and “immortality,” “seek for … immortality” in my understanding infers seeking the eternal God. In other words, the Most High God will bestow eternal life to those who persist in doing good and seeking Him.

“Patient continuance in doing good” points out the correct attitude in choosing life, which is to continuously choose life and do good in the sight of God. Therefore, choosing life is not a one-time decision, but a constant attitude and orientation. Every major religion has a common misconception, for example, believers might think that shaving one’s head or being baptized signifies the conversion to Buddhism or becoming a Christian. There are usually rituals for entry. Many people think that undergoing such rituals is equivalent to receiving everything the religion has to offer. This, however, is a disastrous misconception.

The word “seek” in today’s verse, zeteo in Greek, and its tense implies ongoing “seeking, demanding for.” Thus, “patient” and “keep seeking” in the verse show that those who live by doing good and seeking God will receive eternal life from Him. Why do we need persistence? This is because the suffering, evils, and lawlessness in the world could easily dishearten us, particularly in any morally deteriorating society. We need to continuously seek God and persevere in doing good; sometimes we need reverse thinking. The spirit of marching against adversity, for instance, precisely demonstrated the persistence and determination it takes for us to continuously choose life in the face of threats and death. Believers then can unceasingly beg for God’s help to overcome all these.

Another reason why we could persist in doing good and seeking God despite adversity is because the law of causality operates in this world. The good God continuously transforms those who believe in Him and gives us the ability to do good continuously. Therefore, those who claim to believe in Jesus, yet do not practice His goodness in His eyes, do not truly follow Him. Generally, the number of good deeds performed by those who believe in Jesus would increase with time because only He is good.

Reflection questions:

1) Are you willing to persist in doing good and seeking God in times of smooth sailing? Why?

2) Is there anything preventing you from seeking God and continuously doing good? If so, how could you rely on the Lord to overcome it?