ARE YOU STILL SEARCHING, OR HAVE YOU FOUND IT?

SCRIPTURE:
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 
but we preach Christ crucified: 
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.
(1 Corinthians 1:22-23)

MEDITATION:
Would you agree 
that everyone is looking for something to bring value to their lives?
Some people are just bored and looking for something to spice up their life.
Others are disappointed with how their lives have turned out 
and are looking for something to help them ‘get a new start’.
Still others realize that our time on earth is limited (and short) 
so they are searching for the answers to a new life after death.

This searching is not something new to our generation.
People were searching during biblical times as well.
Jews were searching for signs of something special and new.
Greeks felt that finding wisdom would fill the void in their lives.

Just as it was those times, 
people today continue to ‘look in all the wrong places’.
While everyone was searching, Paul and other disciples of Christ 
were trying to point them toward exactly what they needed, 
but they were blinded as they looked in other directions.

It is the same way today isn’t it?
People are trying all kinds of things to fill a void in their lives, 
while pastors, missionaries and bible teachers are diligently trying 
to show and explain to them what they really need – Jesus Christ.

One of the great needs in the church today 
is for every Christian to become enthusiastic about his faith in Jesus Christ. 
This is the essence of having a vital and vibrant spiritual experience. 
The apostles had been with Christ, 
so they could not help but testify about the One they had seen and heard. 

Every Christian should be (or become) an ambassador of Christ.
Every Christian should be so passionate about Jesus 
and so filled with His Spirit that nothing could stop us 
from telling others Who He is and what He did for us.

The Gospel that Paul preached seemed madness to many in his day. 
But you know what? It seems to have inspired him to preach even more.
Believers need to have the same passion today that Paul had back then.
We need to capture 
some of the ‘magnificent obsession’ that those early Christians had! 
Being filled with the Spirit of God 
is how we end our searching and fill the void in our lives.

ACTION:
Are you passionate about your relationship with Jesus Christ?
You may be one of those searching in the wrong places 
for peace, happiness and life’s fulfillment.
If you are, then pause your search and listen 
to what pastors, missionaries and bible teachers are saying.
They are driven by a ‘love for others’ and a desire to see others discover 
what is really important, not for just getting through life, 
but enjoying life and looking forward to an unimaginable pleasing eternity.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, create in me a passionate desire to tell others about 
Jesus. Don’t allow me to keep my relationship with You contained 
within so others cannot see how important You are in my life. Give 
me opportunities to show and tell others how much Your fellowship 
means to me. If I am searching in the wrong direction for the real 
meaning of life, then turn me around and point me in the right direction. 
Help me discover what I have been missing out on as a Christian. 
Teach me the importance of my influence on a searching world.”