December 2018

​                Madison and Kaitlyn found a small puzzle at church one Sunday morning, it was a picture of Jesus as a shepherd.  They wanted to put it together during the 9 a.m. worship service, but Michelle told them no.  She did say that they could work on it before worship started and probably get it done, which they did.  As they were putting it together Madison picked up a piece of the puzzle that had Jesus’ face on it and turned to Michelle and said, “look, I found God.”  Oh my, I guess she is a preacher’s kid.  At least she admits to finding God, that is good.
                As I have shaken my head and laughed at Madison’s statement, it has made me think about this Christmas season and finding God.  The “wise men” were looking for the Christ child, and found him.  There is a promise from God that says when you “seek me you will find me when you seek me with your whole heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).  Have I found God?  Have I found God in this season?  Maybe the better question is, have even been seeking or looking? 
                When Paul was in Athens, he spoke to the Athenians saying: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:24-27).  God is not far.  God can be found.  God wants us to find him, because as Paul will go on and say in verse 28, “For in him we live and move and have our being.”
                Is our heart set on seeking?  What does a seeking heart look like?  What does your seeking heart look like?  We find God in the scripture, for Christ is the word.  We find God among the Church, for Christ is the head.  We find God midst the hurting, for we are told when we do something for the least we do it for Christ.  We find God beside those who are confessing, because Christ is the truth.  Where are you seeking God this season?  And are we seeking God with our whole heart, all that we can.  There may be pieces and parts of our heart that we can’t seek God with, part of our heart that we would say we don’t have a hold of right now.  Someone else, something else has it and is keeping us from seeking God with it.  With all that you can, will you seek God and then let God free the other parts so that more and more may of your heart may join in the finding? 
                My prayer for you is that as the Christmas morning dawns and the new year draws close you will be able to say like Madison, “Look, I found God.”  Christ came so that we might find Him.  Thanks be to God, a God who wants us to find life in Him.