Written by Pastor Mark Driskill
September 1, 2011

Read Ephesians 1:1-3 & Ephesians 1:7,11

“Oh where did my glasses go? I know they are around here somewhere! I hate wasting all this time trying to find them. Maybe I should retrace my steps and try to find where I may have laid them down.” Running through the house I frantically search every possible dropping point for my reading glasses. Then after a few irritating moments of this I happen by the bathroom mirror only to discover they were propped on top of my head all along. Did this ever happen to you? I think sometimes our lives are like that. This is especially true in our search to know God.

We look everywhere for his presence. We exhaust ourselves pouring over spiritual books, watching the latest religious guru, and chasing after the next holy experience. Then we exhaust ourselves with legalistic promises and recommitments until we eventually happen by the mirror of God’s word and make a startling discovery. God isn’t hiding in some obscure religious practice. He isn’t sitting behind some mystical secret known only by people who can afford to sell books and DVD’s. God is right with us waiting for us to look a little closer to home and rediscover his presence. The good news of the gospel is not that we can find God. Leave that to the millions of other religions in the world. No, our gospel says that we cannot find God by our own efforts. God has found us through Christ Jesus, who came to earth on a seek and save rescue mission.

Too many of us are like the man who spent a whole day searching for an ox, while he was riding an ox. It was sitting right under him all the time. There is something in our sinful human nature that compels us to keep trying to get God into our lives through our own efforts. But when you read the book of Ephesians you find that in Christ God has given us everything we need in order to know and be known by him. Read those verses again. Remind yourself that in Him (Christ) we have everything we need. “In him we have redemption.” (v.7) meaning that there is no situation in which we can find ourselves, no matter how dark, that God cannot redeem and restore. “In him we have obtained an inheritance.” (v.11)

This means that our future now and forever is secure in Jesus Christ. No matter what happens on Wall Street or main street, and regardless of how the ground shakes, the wind blows and the waters rise God has placed his children safe in the hollow of his powerful hands. It’s time for many of us to stop looking over the next hill for God and just look in the mirror of God’s word to see what we already have in Jesus Christ. Stop trying to be so hyper-spiritual and just trust in Jesus. His love and power are closer than you think.

Pastor Mark Driskill
Web Minister of Begotten By the Word web ministry
See our website at http://ourchurch.com/member/b/bbtw
and
www.facebook.com (to group “begotten by the word”)
Begotten By the Word is a ministry of Helping Hands Christian resources-Evangelism Outreach
www.hhcr05.org
(Feel free to copy in any way that will bring glory to God and further his kingdom.)