In Search Of

"Godly people find life; evil people find death." Proverbs 11:19 (NLT), my emphasis is in italics

Recently, my wife and I were browsing Facebook Marketplace. We weren't really looking for anything in particular, but occasionally, we scroll just to see what's out there.

Over the last few years, we've passed up many products on Marketplace, but there have been a handful of times we've inquired further. Our interest was peaked by what we saw and we thought: "This seems like a good deal. We might need to investigate."

She and I went mining for diamonds on Marketplace and found all types of gems.

Consequently, we're now owners of dumbbells, shelving, storage lockers, and various musical instruments.

My wife didn't realize how much she needed to get in shape until she came across reasonably priced dumbbells. It never dawned on me how much I needed to improve my guitar skills until I saw that guitar.

Sometimes, we don't know we're in search of something until that thing catches our attention.

In Proverbs 11:19, Solomon writes something so simple, yet significant. It astounds me that though the "godly" and the "evil" are on polar opposites of the righteousness spectrum, they still have one thing in common: they ultimately find what they're looking for.

I realize that godly people finding life and evil people finding death speaks to with where you and I will spend eternity. After we pass from this life to the next, Romans 14:12 tells us we all will stand before God; we will give an account for how we lived; and we will either enjoy God's presence in heaven forever or we will suffer without God's presence in hell forever.

How do we separate godliness from evil, or ungodliness?

According to the Bible, the godly are those who trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ for salvation. The evil, on the other hand, are those who don't trust in Christ for salvation. It's really as simple as that. Calling on, believing in, and living for Jesus is what makes the difference (John 3:16-18).

My trust in Christ or lack thereof is the filter by which I find. Jesus is the lens that I look at my surroundings through. He's the filter, the lens, and the means by which I pan for diamonds - Jesus affects everything.

That's why I'm so intrigued by this thought from Solomon's writings: we all tend to find what we're looking for.

If godly people find life while evil people find death, then it makes me ask at least seven questions:

• Should I visit Marketplace less?

• Is Jesus my filter or is something else?

• Is my goal to mine diamonds out of life?

• Am I actively trying to see the best or worst in others?

• Do I go looking for failures and flaws?

• What catches my eye most often?

• Where is my attention being drawn?

My prayer today is: “Lord, teach me how to search for life in everything!”