The answer is rather simple. We don't find God, He finds us! The Bible says that we are blind and dead without the forgiveness of God and the life that He gives. That’s when the journey and true life begins. God finds us in our sin and then gives us life in His Son, Jesus. Jesus is the bridge between God and man. We find God in Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and eternal life.
Here are some truths to realize in your journey to find God and to be found by Him. The Bible affirms these truths and calls it the “gospel” or the good news of Christ Jesus. (By the way, Christ is Greek for Messiah, and Messiah is Hebrew for anointed leader and deliverer.)
- You were made by God for God’s great purposes in your life.
You are the delight of God. You are His creation. You are one of his best masterpieces in this museum of His works that we call earth. Like the body needs blood and like an automobile needs gasoline, you are made to be in a real relationship with God and you were made to be fueled by God’s love and will in your life. He is our only need. An automobile won’t fulfill its purpose for which it was designed for, if it doesn’t have gas, and your life won't fulfill its purpose for which is was designed it it is not connected with God! (Zeph. 3:17-18 ; Rev 21:3 ; Psalm 73:25-26)
- We fail to meet God’s standards of perfection.
Since it is God’s world, we go by His standards and not our own. His standards are found in the Bible. His holiness and perfect righteousness is seen in the 10 commandments and in the rest of the Bible. His moral commands are understood in our consciences. God is completely good. He’s is the measure, standard, and definition of what is good. Truthfully, we fail to meet his standards all the time, and that is sin. (Romans 3:23 ; Exodus 20:1-21 ; Hebrews10:1-4 ; Romans 1:18-21)
- Imperfection is Expensive.
Because we are unholy, we don’t deserve to live forever in God’s holy and perfect heaven. Because of our imperfection and sin, we deserve a place reserved for the imperfect. That is hell. Hell is a place of eternal conscious suffering and pain. This place is normally described as eternal fire where the souls of men burn in conscious torment forever. (Romans 6:23 ; Romans 2:5 ; Matthew 25:46 ; Revelation 20:10)
- Jesus is the perfect bridge between Man and God.
Jesus who is both man and God lived like a man and yet was sinless. He sacrificed his perfect life, suffered death, and rose again from the dead confirming that He is God. Why did he have to die? In God’s Word, blood must be shed and a creature must die for sin to be forgiven. Once again, sin is expensive. Christ shed his blood for the sin of the world. (John 14:6 ; 1 Tim 2:5 ; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 ; Leviticus 17:11 ; Hebrews 9:22 ; Matthew 20:28)
- Forgiven and Eternal is Your Destiny.
By asking Jesus for forgiveness and believing in Him, you can have eternal life. Your destiny is to be redeemed (or bought back from sin and death) by God through Jesus. Then you will be set free to know God and His great joyous purposes in your life. (Isaiah 55:5-8 ; John 17:3 ; Romans 10:9)
Conclusion:
God has found us in our sin and yet He does not leave us in our sin. He allows us to "find" Him in the forgiveness and freedom of His Son, Jesus. You can be saved from your sin and its due destruction, death, and eternal hell if you ask God.
When we pray to be rescued from our sin, we talk to Him and tell it like it is. In prayer we (1) confess that we have sin, (2) ask him for forgiveness because of what Jesus did, and (3) thank Him for "finding us." That’s it. Afterwards He will empower us to live a new life by His Holy Spirit.
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