Jump Start # 406

Proverbs 11:27 “He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who searches after evil, it will come to him.”

  I love Proverbs! It doesn’t take a lot to understand them. They tell it as it is. Plain, simple, here it is—kind of logic and wisdom. Our passage today is like that. You find what you’re looking for—that’s it. If you’re looking for good, you’ll find it. If you’re looking for trouble, it’ll come to you.

• Isn’t this true with the people we hang out with—if you look for good, decent, godly people, you’ll find them (a good place is church services). And if you’re looking for law breaking, rough and rowdy people, you’ll find them.

– this is true of kids who go off to college, even those schools with a religious slant. Somehow the kids that get into trouble have gravitated toward those who are trouble makers.

– this is true when it comes to dating. You date someone who is loose, worldly and rough on the edges and you’ll find yourself doing things that you once considered wrong. You’ll find ways to excuse and justify and you’ll find yourself getting weaker spiritually.

• This is true of what we fill our hearts with. If you seek good, you’ll find good. If you look for trash, you’ll find trash.

– Movies, music, books can be so helpful, entertaining and fulfilling or they can be sordid, base and unfit for Christian hearts. You find what you are looking for. What kind of books are you reading? What kind of music do you listen to? What do those things do to you? Do they lead you to noble thinking and godly living, or do they make you angry, self centered and unrighteous? You find what you are looking for.

  This passage helps us to understand why some people are the way they are. They have found what they were looking for. Jesus used an idea similar to this in the Gospels. There he talked about a man who was looking for pearls. He found a great pearl and sold all that he had so he could purchase it. He found what he was looking for.

  In the great sermon, Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” What are you looking for? You’ll find it after a while. A good time? You’ll find it. Wealth? You’ll find it. Success? You’ll find it. Peace and quiet? You’ll find it. Fun? You’ll find it. Christ? You’ll find Him. Heaven? You’ll find it.

  In looking for what we want, we become focused, like the horse with blinders on, all he can see is straight ahead. Some, all they see is trouble. They couldn’t find good, if good knocked on their door. Some find good, because that’s what they are looking for.

  So it comes to this: What are you looking for? You’re probably finding it. Is it what you really want? Is it what God wants? How about a rich and rewarding relationship with the Lord? How about an incredible relationship with a church? How about a wonderful relationship with family? You find what you’re looking for. It’ll take some work, some looking and some doing on your part, but it’s there, if that’s what you’re looking for.

  Roger