Elusive Satisfaction

Continuing the theme from yesterday's post, here's a great piece by Paul Tripp on Satisfaction

In an age of so much, why do we act as if we have so little? Why is satisfaction so elusive? Why do we struggle to be content?

I want to examine the first seven verses from Isaiah 55 and study this thing called satisfaction. I think there are 4 helpful principles that we can extract:

1. EVERYONE IS HUNGRY & THIRSTY

This passage opens with, "Come, everyone who thirsts..." (55:1). Isaiah never writes that only a particular group of people are seeking satisfaction. Every person who has ever drawn breath has sought satisfaction.

In His divine wisdom, God built spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst into the heart of every human being. Everyone is seeking fulfillment, hope, and meaning and purpose. Whether they know it or not, there's a void in their soul that can only be filled by God.

This hunger and thirst for satisfaction is both a grace and a danger. It's a grace, because we can hunger and thirst for God, but at the same time, we'll chase after dangerous things, hoping they'll satisfy the twisted desires of our heart.

Here's what you need to understand: everyday you'll wake up hungry and thirsty, and everyday, you'll chase after something in the hopes of satisfaction. What are you chasing? Be honest and don't be too quick to say, "I chase after Jesus."

2. CREATION DOESN'T SATISFY

The passage continues with, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food." (55:2).

Isaiah makes it clear that there are two contrasting substances available: those which satisfy the soul and those which don't. We know from Scripture that the creation fails to satisfy the soul, but from the beginning of time, we've bought the lie that somehow we can find life outside of God.

Maybe it's an achievement. Maybe it's a possession or collection of possessions. Maybe it's a relationship. Maybe it's an experience. Here's a helpful diagnostic: ask yourself, "If only I had ________, then I would be happy." What created thing occupies that blank space?

3. ONLY JESUS SATISFIES

Satisfied?

Some straight talk from Beth More:  Is Christ Alone Enough for You?

Knowing God's truth is an absolute necessity in our journey to freedom, but so is our truthfulness. Psalm 51:6 says God desires "truth in the inner parts" (NIV). God's truth and our truthfulness are both needed in order to gain complete freedom in Christ.

I mention the importance of honesty because I may be about to get more honest than some of you can stand. I ask you to consider what I have to say: Many Christians are not satisfied with Jesus.Before you call me a heretic, let me set the record straight: Jesus is absolutely satisfying. In fact, He is the only means by which any mortal creature can find true satisfaction.

However, I believe a person can receive Christ as Savior, serve Him for decades and meet Him face to face in glory without ever experiencing satisfaction in Him.

Rather than waste our effort on worthless things, God wants us to find satisfaction in Him. When we look to other sources, we are guilty of idolatry....

Read it all at the link.

Are You Satisfied?

HT: Challies.com

Admit It!

"So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where he is there I shall be also!"

                --- Martin Luther


Hat Tip:  Abandon the Reformation, Abandon the Gospel – The Gospel Coalition Blog: 

All Life Is Worship

I needed to hear this word this morning. -- From -All Life Is Worship - Confluence:

All of life is worship. To cease worshiping is to cease living. As those created to image God, we worship… continuously. Obviously I’m not talking about singing songs or going to meetings, I’m talking about trust, hope, longing, desire, affections.

It’s impossible to turn our worship off; it’s just a matter of where we aim our worship. Whether it’s our desire for sexual satisfaction, monetary provisions, relationships, rest, comfort, or security, the outcome is the direct result of where our worship is aimed.

It’s impossible to worship God and sin at the same time. If I worship God I turn from temptation and say God is good enough, he’s great enough, he’s my comforter, my hearts desire.

More at the link.

It is Jesus...

“It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal”.

              – Pope John Paul II

Hat Tip: The Anchoress