Proverbs 11:27

Proverbs 11:27 "He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him."

When God made us, He gave us the extraordinary gift of free-will and He also gave us the fascinating gift of CURIOSITY.  When born, we know how to breathe, move, drink and to do all of the basic functions necessary to live but we know how to do very little beyond that.  It is that gift of curiosity that leads us to fill our brains with the information necessary to grow and excel in life.  Without curiosity, we would lack the interest and effort necessary to learn.  Without curiosity, we would lack the energy and motivation to grow out of the crib or high chair.  Curiosity is what moves our eyes and minds.  It is what fuels our hands and feet.  All of our great inventions and discoveries are the result of curiosity.  As a race, we’re constantly asking ourselves, “how can we do this better?”  We’re constantly saying to ourselves, “what else is out there that we haven’t yet found?”  Someone is always thinking about a better way or a better tool or a better place and it is this curious mindset that leads to our world’s greatest advancements.

While God intended curiosity to be a great gift, it inherited a dangerous side when man misused the gift of free-will and disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Now, we can be curious of both good and bad.  Now, we are curious of both “a better way” and “a worse way” of doing things.  Single men are curious about single women, which is healthy but unfortunately, married men are also curious about married women, which is very unhealthy.  As a race, we are curious about our Maker but we are also curious about Satan.  We are curious about love but we are also curious about hate.  Curiosity has led to extraordinary medical equipment and surgical techniques to help people but it has also led to horrific military equipment and torture techniques to hurt people.  Curiosity keeps us up all night on the internet researching ways to help our sick loved ones get better but it also keeps us up all night on the internet discovering ways to hurt people and get away with it.
 
Curiosity goes both ways in the same world.  Two people can watch the same crime show but be curious for two very different reasons.  One person can be curious about the techniques used to bring evil souls to justice while another person can watch the same episode curious to learn techniques of terror.  Curiosity was meant to fuel our pursuit of God.  It is a fascinating gift intended to help us be ever learning about Him and how wonderful He is.  It was meant to help us learn about each other and be the energy behind ever-growing relationships with each other.  It was given to us so that we might spend our lives trying to see God and people from every possible angle, ultimately resulting in an emotional, mental and spiritual adventure.   Unfortunately, the curse that accompanied sin made curiosity dangerous.  This proverb addresses both the blessing and danger of curiosity.

We seek that which we are curious about.  We pursue that which interests us.  We seek that which fascinates us.  In this proverb, one man seeks good while another seeks mischief.  In this proverb, one man diligently seeks good because he’s curious about good while another man seeks mischief because he’s curious about mischief.  In this proverb, one man diligently seeks good in people, in relationships, in tasks, in conversations while another man seeks mischief in the same things.  Curiosity is a good thing but only when it is applied to good things.  A man who is sincerely curious about virtue, helping people, solving problems, worshipping God, ministry and other good things attracts favor.  A man who is curious about trouble, problems, faults, crime, sins and other bad things attracts mischief.  Curiosity is not the spark that sets us on a particular path – it is the fuel that keeps us looking for something until we find it.  Curiosity is what makes sure we find what we’re looking for.
 
Whatcha lookin’ for in life?  

When it comes to conversation, what kind of questions do you ask and why do you ask them?  Are you trying to find the good in people or are you trying to find the bad in people?  Are you trying to find the good in relationships and friendships or are you trying to find the trouble in relationships?  What type of story are you trying to find?  What kind of investigator are you – one who is looking to uncover the sins of men or one who is looking to praise the accomplishments of men?  Doesn’t it make sense what Solomon is saying?  The person who is diligently seeking good in people, in relationships and in organizations will naturally attract favor.  The person who is always trying to see the good side of things will be more likable than the person who seems to be always seeking mischief and conflict.  The employee who genuinely tries to find the good in the new company policy attracts favor from his superiors as well as from his co-workers while the employee who goes around the company looking to see who hates the new policy will find trouble with his superiors and eventually, with his co-workers.  This is true for church members, family members, media members and sport teams.  If a reporter is known for digging up dirt, they’ll eventually get dirt thrown in their face whereas the reporter who is known for highlighting accomplishments will be well-respected and well-favored.
 
What are you most curious about – virtue or vice, peace or conflict, success or failure, strength or weakness?  What do you like learning about – the qualities of people or the problems of people?  What do you go on social media to do – celebrate the accomplishments of people or confront the opinions of people?  Why do you scan the news feed on your phone – to learn something good or to uncover some mischief?  Why do you ask questions about a mutual friend – to get to know them better or to discover their flaws?

We all have a reason for which we ask questions.  We all have a reason for which we watch videos and read articles.  We’re all CURIOUS about SOMETHING and we’re all SEEKING SOMETHING.  If you’re diligently, or passionately seeking good in life, you’ll attract favor from God and from men.  People will open up to you if they know you mean to help them by the questions you ask.  People will confide in you if they sense a sincere desire to find the good in them.  God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him and His goodness.  But if you’re seeking mischief, people will eventually sense that and loathe you for it.  As a result, mischief will find its way into your life.  The people who are looking for problems in other people are eventually the ones that everyone wants to find problems in.

This proverb simply teaches that, because of the nature of curiosity, we eventually find what we’re looking for.  For that reason, it ultimately confronts us with the question, “Whatcha Lookin’ for?”