Trying to Find Something?

July 25, 2019 (Thursday)
Please bear with me as you read this blog. It may sound so trivial at first that you may wonder if I am making a point of any kind. Don’t give up on me; just keep reading.
I went to the grocery store, and bought an over-the-counter medication with my groceries. I brought it home and put away the groceries. Then I discovered that I had not stored the medication I mentioned. I looked high and low. I checked the trunk of the car. I checked the bags; then I checked them again. I checked the trunk again. And again. Finally I checked the trash. I dug through the garbage. But it was nowhere to be found. Then I did it all again. I disliked the thought of just forgetting it, because it was rather expensive. Finally I found it in a sack I had set aside, thinking I knew what was in the sack. But there it was, safe and sound, nestled in a sack with paper towels I had purchased.
OK, now here’s why I told you all that. There is an object lesson here.
First, let us acknowledge that many people realize something is missing in their lives. They are not sure what it is, but they have come to believe that there must be more to life than they are experiencing. They are dissatisfied, sort of empty, just drifting from day to day, longing for something better–something they seem to have missed. So they set out in search of this “something.”
First, they look in all the logical places: education, activities that keep them busy, exciting friends to brighten their days, maybe even thrills of different kinds, like race cars. Or they may find that a relaxing hobby makes them feel better. They search. Then they search again. And again. Still they feel an absence of meaning, purpose and joy. In desperation they may check the garbage dumps of life: the saloons, strip joints, gambling halls, brothels, wild and crazy friends, philosophies of life that leave out God.. But nothing fills the void. They may feel like they have lost something, or they may feel like they’ve always been searching, searching, searching..
Finally they find what they believe they have been seeking. For many, this means they found salvation in Christ, a sense of belonging, a reason to live, a hope of life eternal, a fellowship with others that seems to make them stronger day by day.
Some people are raised in Christian homes and learn from an early age that it’s good to have a personal relationship with the Lord through faith. Others receive a witness from someone, their testimony of a better life to be found in Christ. Still others reach adulthood and start searching..and, praise the Lord, they open their hearts and find a beautiful life in Christ.
In the 16th chapter of the Book of Acts, there is an account of Paul and Silas, servants of God, in prison. As they prayed, and sang hymns, the Roman jailer heard them. They probably had witnessed to him from their cells. An earthquake came, and the cells were opened. The jailer knew he would be executed if his prisoners escaped, and he assumed as much. Thinking them gone, he was about to commit suicide when Paul stopped him. The jailer then asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. And the same holds true for everyone in your household.” The jailer, his family and his servants were all saved that night. They found something they did not know they were seeking. They found Jesus. Jesus found them.
What about you? Are you trying to find something you may have lost along the way? Try Jesus. He’s the object of your search for a better life.