The Search

CHRISTMAS! The most wonderful time of the year! The time of giving, family & love. But also the time to celebrate the birth of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. And as we celebrate His birth, let's take a look at the men searching for Him nearly 2,000 years ago.

Matthew 2 gives us the story of the magi following the star as they searched for the baby. They tell Herod they were looking for the "king" so they could come & "worship" Him. It was an extremely significant event & an extremely significant search. And all they had to do was follow the star. In fact, they were "overjoyed" at the sight of the star & excited about where God was leading them & what they were going to find. They were on the search.

So this brings me to the question: what about YOU? What are YOU searching for?

Are you searching for the things of this world? Acceptance? Popularity? A boyfriend/girlfriend? Belonging? Love? Too often we get lost searching for the wrong things in this world. Too often we lose focus on our search & get lost. If we were magi, it's safe to say we've lost sight of the star.

And even Isaiah 41 tells us about thirsty people looking for water. Which makes sense, right? But even you who are thirsty & only searching for water, you will not be satisfied. You will not be fulfilled. You will not get a drink. Because you're looking for the wrong thing.

The thing about the wise men was they got where they needed by following God's leading. They trusted what God had revealed to them & trusted in God's star He had provided for direction. They were seeking Him & searching Him. They were looking for God! They weren't trying to get there alone. They didn't use a compass or bust out a prehistoric GPS. They trusted God's leading & sought Him first & foremost.

Matthew 6:33 commands us to "seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." We are commanded to seek God first. Seek Him over ALL things. Seeking & searching for Him should be our top PRIORITY over everything else.

And when we figure out we're called to seek God first & search for Him alone, we also realize God has been waiting for us all along. He has been drawing us back to Him & waiting for us to get there. In the story of the prodigal son, he gets lost & ends up in a "far off country." Some distant land. But when he realizes he's lost, he searches & seeks his way back home. And upon his return, he finds his father waiting. Waiting for him to come home. Waiting to celebrate his return.

So again, what are you searching for? Is seeking God's plan for your life top priority? Are you seeking His will & His word first & foremost?

Or have you lost sight of the star? Have you gotten lost in this world & lost in your sin?

The time is now to come home. The time is now to seek God's leading & come back to Him. He's waiting. Just like Jesus was waiting for the wise men to find Him 2,000 years ago, Jesus is still waiting for you today.

Jesus is the star. He is THE way. He will lead you to the father.

JV