Seeking, Searching, and Settling (Mark 1:36-37)

People are seeking and searching, and they don’t even know it. They don’t realize that what they are looking for is God, and God is within. They are seeking, searching, and settling for a person, a place, a thing, a substance, a behavior, or an activity, not realizing that what feels missing in their life is God. What feels broken in their life is because they are looking for God. They are seeking and searching without even realizing it. You think it’s in a person, and that’s why you’ve been impacted by what people say and do and by the rejection you’ve experienced because you believe it’s found in a person. You think you are seeking love from this person, but love is already inside you because God is inside you. You’ve moved from relationship to relationship, but what you are truly seeking is God.

You go to a place, thinking it’s the location you are looking for. If only you could move to this city, this state, this country, this job, this neighborhood, or this church, you’d be fulfilled. But what you are looking for is inside of you. It is not in another place. Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. We think what we are searching for is an activity or a behavior. If I can just do this and engage in this particular activity or behavior, then I’ll experience satisfaction, fulfillment, and contentment. But it’s not in that behavior. It’s not in dancing, exercising, or participating in any specific activity. It’s not in going to art shows, singing, or anything. It’s in you. These activities might help you express and experience God, but the source is not the activity it’s within you. It’s not in the behavior; it’s in God, and God is in you. We seek and search for a substance, a thing, and we eventually realize that it’s not in those things.

We’ve been seeking, searching, and settling, thinking that whenever there’s an addiction, it’s because we are seeking and searching for God without knowing it. We believe it’s in food or that we’re looking for something good to eat or drink. But what we are really looking for is God. It’s not in the soda, not in the alcohol, but in God. What you are seeking and searching for is in God. We think it’s in the cigarette, the blunt, the weed, the reefer, or a particular oil. But what you’re really seeking is God. The peace you are looking for can only be found in God. The joy you are searching for can only be found in God. The love you are longing for can only be found in God, and God is inside of you. It’s not in the crack, not in the cocaine, not in any drug. It’s inside of you. It’s not in a new house or a new car. It’s not in achievements or accolades. You get those titles, positions, awards, and accomplishments, and yet you still feel empty and unfulfilled. You get the husband, the family, and the baby, and you still don’t feel fulfilled because it’s not in another person, place, substance, or activity.

It’s in God. You have been seeking, searching, and settling for people, places, things, and activities, but God will only bring you satisfaction and contentment. It’s not in rules or regulations. It’s not in religion. What you are really seeking is an authentic relationship with God. In Mark Chapter 1, the disciples were looking for Jesus but couldn’t find Him. The people were looking for Jesus because He had been preaching, teaching, and performing miracles, signs, and wonders. Jesus took a time out, and they were trying to find Him. The disciples said, "Everyone is looking for you." In Mark 1:36-37, they thought they were looking for the physical person of Jesus. But who they were really looking for was the Christ that Jesus represented. They were seeking and didn’t even know it.

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