John 1:47-49 says "When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body". Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.” Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”
As intelligent and modern thinking people we often think that we have 'found God when in reality He found us. It is similar to Columbus 'discovering' a land that would become to be known as America; the land mass of America was already here and populated by many nations of peoples. Columbus simply found something that he was looking for yet had never before seen.
In the same way a baby 'discovers' their feet. Their feet were always there and their parents placed socks and shoes on them and cut their toenails. But one day, several months into life, the baby stretches out their arms and grabs onto something new and fun that they never before knew existed.
Discovering God is very similar to this. Our journey in life is one constant search for the One Who Was and Is and Always Will Be: God. He exists and has always existed.
We search for Him and 'discover' Him and yet never know the fullness of Him because He is so immense.
Jesus knew Nathanael long before Nathanael was introduced to Jesus and 'found' Him to be the Son of God and the King of Israel.
Our journey is made more joyful in the discovering of who God is. We are created to look for God, find God, and know God.
So, even as we have 'found' God He was never lost and in the larger reality 'found' us.
Like a parent that plays hide and seek, the pleasure for the seeker is in the discovery of Him; the looking around each corner, the anticipation of something good at the end of the search, and the enjoyment of looking together for the One Who is Hidden.
Yet, like a little child playing the game we are not really very good at seeking so God comes and finds us and places Himself in front of us so that He may be found. God takes great joy in being found and loves to watch us as we discover Him.
In hide and seek finding the 'hidden' individual ends the game. This is not so in our journey with God where finding God is not the end of the game; it is just the beginning.
Finding God is the beginning of reality and not the end of reality; in fact, finding God moves us into His eternal plan for us as He is the greatest reality ever and the foundation for all that is real.
In John, Chapter One Jesus is found by two of John's disciples. That same day one of those disciples, Andrew, goes and gets Simon Peter and introduces him to Jesus. The very next day Jesus 'found' Philip who promptly went and got Nathanael who then 'found' Jesus.
God is found everywhere and in everything. There is nothing good or beautiful of kind that does not contain God. Jesus came to earth to be 'found' by mankind in a new and intimate way that was originally intended in the Garden of Eden.
Jesus came to earth to be found and so that a heavenly life here on earth could be found; a life where we have the potential to be in constant companionship with God.
Jesus is FOUND:
a. In the TEMPLE (Mark 1:21)
b. In our HOMES (Mark 1:29)
c. At PARTIES (John 2:2)
d. Along the STREETS and PATHS (Mark 1:16
e. In the FIELDS (Luke 6:1)
f. WHEREVER 2 or 3 ARE GATHERED in HIS NAME (Matthew 18:20)
g. WHEREVER YOU ARE (I Corinthians 3:16)
As Jesus was found in these practical places so can God be found today.
Join me as we 'find' God in all the right places and even in some very interesting and unchurchy, non-religious places.
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