Looking

by Tim Archer

I didn't find any gold today. Haven't found any all week. In fact, I've never found gold. Nor diamonds. Nor silver. Not once.

I'd be more than happy to stumble across any of those things. But it hasn't happened.

I'm guessing that you're not surprised. Neither am I, especially since I've never gone out looking for gold, or diamonds, or silver. I haven't gone to the places where they tend to be found. I haven't done the things people do to try and find them.

So it's not all that surprising that I've never found any of these treasures.

Have you found God? If not, it's possible that you're not really looking for Him. It's one thing to say, "I'd like to find God." It's quite another to actually look for Him.

There are some basic things you need to do:


 1. Decide that you really want to find God. This has to be more than curiosity. Set out to know Him, not just know about Him. Your goal is to have a relationship with the Creator of the universe.

 2. Spend time in prayer. Express your desire to know God. Be honest with Him, but humble. Pour out your thoughts and feelings. Be willing to patiently wait. Relationships take time.

 3.  Read the Bible. Spend time studying God's revelation of Himself. Try to learn about Him. Look at His people and how they react to Him, both good and bad. Read through the poetry known as the psalms, looking at the range of emotions expressed in that book. Study the life of Jesus to see how God lived as a human being.

 4. Be with others who are seeking God. While it's true that God can be found anywhere, it's easier to find Him in the presence of others who have already found Him. Find a church, a community of believers, and get them to help you in your search.

I probably won't ever find gold or diamonds or silver. But I found God, a treasure worth far more than any of those things. And you can find Him too.




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Forwarded by Debra