Satisfaction.
Everyone is searching for it. What does it look like? We try to find it in a lot of places: Spouses, children, jobs, money or material possessions, achievements, friends, sex, traveling, partying, even religion, and the list goes on. The reality is that God created those desires within us.
Throughout Scripture we see mankind longing to be satisfied. And we are no different are we? Constantly looking for the latest, greatest, feel good, whatever it might be. With each search we come up empty-handed because none of it truly satisfies. All of those things can make us happy from time to time, but none of them satisfy the deepest longings in our souls. Why? They weren’t meant to!
When God created us, He created us for pleasure. Somehow we have bought into the idea that if we choose to follow Christ, we have to let go of all pleasure and enjoyment! I can’t tell you how many people have told me they hesitated coming to Christ, because they didn’t think Christians could have fun! Seriously?
Our problem is that our expectations are too low! I love this quote from C.S. Lewis:
“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far to easily pleased.”
He nailed it! We are far too easily pleased! We settle for what the world has to offer, because we think it makes us happy.
What about you? Are you satisfied? I’m not talking about happy, happy, happy (for you Duck Dynasty fans), but I’m talking about satisfaction, the delight, pleasure and infinite joy found in a relationship with Christ.
How do we obtain that kind of satisfaction? Jesus said:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matt. 5:6
Doing some research, I found the word blessed is translated from the Greek word Makarios, which means “blessed, to be fully satisfied. Makarios differs from happy, because happy describes the person who has good fortune. In the biblical sense, a blessed person is one whom God makes fully satisfied, not because of favorable circumstances, but because He indwells the believer through Christ.”
There you have it! Satisfaction doesn’t come as a result of my circumstances or good fortune.
Jesus alone satisfies. I guarantee it!
You probably know people who never seem satisfied. Possibly they don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. This weekend is a great opportunity to ask them to come to church with you. Find out about Easter services on all Long Hollow campuses here and join us!