John 10:9-10 (NKJV)
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Waiting, it seems as though we are always waiting on something. Such a condition implies a lack of contentment and satisfaction in life, both elusive in a world of wants and desires. What we desire has a great impact on one’s ability to ever find contentment in this world much less reach for the ultimate – satisfaction. As believers, contentment seems to be the best we can do even with strong faith in Jesus Christ. Satisfaction and contentment are two very different things although we use the terms causally and interchangeably. Contentment is to accept one’s lot in life. It is limited because it does not mean full but satisfied with what one has. Therefore, whether you have experienced true repentance, salvation or even stepped into the Blessings of God – one could determine to be content within their heart not having it all. This could be a place of compromise and/or substitution. Faith is required to move beyond contentment to satisfaction because it requires hope and belief in the unknown and unseen rather than depending on what we can know and comprehend. Many Christians will find contentment in life but few will ever know the secret to satisfaction.
Jesus said, “I am the door!” Indeed, He is. But the door to what salvation, blessing, promises or even Heaven itself, the Lord can be all these things and more to the extent of a believer’s faith and trust in Jesus. However, He cannot leave the door unattended or the thief will enter in with the intent to “steal, to kill and to destroy.” Jesus came to satisfy us with abundant life. Our inability to perceive more than our immediate needs, wants and desires limits us from ever finding true satisfaction as God intended based on the Riches of His Kingdom.
I Timothy 6:6-7 (NLT)
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
Our family has been watching a series called, “The Bible” over the past several weeks. My youngest daughter cuddles up each night to watch with me. She knows many of the stories detailed each night brought to life by actors and cinematography. It is amazing to see the Bible come to life and haunting just the same. The images of faith and righteousness and the sacrifices made for faith is quite frightening to my little girl so when extreme violence is depicted she will cover her eyes and cling to me until it is over. But this was not the case for children her age in the Old and New Testament when people openly were murdered and martyred for their faith in God and then Jesus. Her life offers comfort that leads to complacency that makes it hard to call our life of contentment less than lavish and abundant watching these struggles in living color. She does not live in a violent world in constant danger. Yet will she know the godliness that leads to contentment or will she walk into the righteousness that leads to full satisfaction. His Name is Jesus. We brought nothing in and we will carry nothing out. How do we keep our hands empty to wait for His Goodness and keep our hearts pure until He comes? This is the secret to satisfaction. Godliness is the beginning but there is so much more in the Abundance of God!
Deuteronomy 30:9-10 (NLT)
“The LORD your God will then make you successful in everything you do. He will give you many children and numerous livestock, and he will cause your fields to produce abundant harvests, for the LORD will again delight in being good to you as he was to your ancestors. The LORD your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.”
Human beings are notorious for wanting something for nothing. It is like asking for water but withholding the glass. From the time of Moses, God has promised His People success in “everything you do”, but man’s response remains thanks but no thanks. All the Lord has ever asked is that we remain faithful to our first love and obedient to His Word. Oh, we love God. Why wouldn’t we? He owns everything. But we do not want to obey Him and forsake our freedom? Ignorance tells us to obey the Lord is to give up something. But the Word of God tells us that in obedience we can have it all. A lack of wisdom with limited faith has hindered Children of God over the ages to seek contentment never finding satisfaction because their limited faith based on no knowledge has left them hungering and thirsting continually for more. God wants to satisfy your soul today! Why not give Him something to work with?
Ecclesiastes 1:7-8 (NLT)
Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
No truer words depict the condition of the world in which we live. People are never satisfied. No matter what, we never are content. Always wanting more, we can never move past seeking God’s Hand to engaging God’s Heart. Oh, He has loved us from the start but we are so engrossed in trying to get something out of His Hand – we do not find the secret to satisfaction that flows from the Father’s Heart. He loves you! Contentment implies you settled for less than it all and longs for “what if”, but satisfaction allows you to have it all because there is no void left to fill. Contentment is limited to the vessel, but satisfaction allows for overflow. “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:7-9) The Lord longs to “abundantly satisfy” you with the “Fullness of His House”. But you cannot have it if you do not reside there.
Haggai 1:5-7 (NLT)
This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!
Do these words describe your life today? You are sowing seed in God’s Kingdom, yet never harvesting. If nothing in your life is satisfying as a believer than something is amiss! You will never be satisfied until you plug the holes in the pockets of your soul and seek the Kingdom of God for fulfillment. You will not ever find satisfaction in temporary things. God has already promised to supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19) If you are not experiencing such a life, God has not let you down but you have failed to let Him do it – His Way. Jesus came so that you would have life more abundantly which goes much deeper than having your rent paid, food in the pantry, and clothes on your back. The Lord wants to satisfy your soul! “I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. But when you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me.” (Hosea 13:5-6) Over and over again in the Bible, God blesses the people and they forget Him. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God has provided for His People and turn back to their old ways. Back into bondage and exile they go, the Lord sets them free and before you know it they are serving other gods once again. Do not be judgmental. Christians do the same thing today. The only difference is that we now have the abundant grace of Jesus Christ to catch us when we fall.
Matthew 5:6 (NLT)
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will be satisfied.
Those who hunger and thirst for justice will be satisfied may seem like an unrealistic pursuit in our present condition but salvation makes it attainable by grace that makes us righteous or in right-standing with God once again. Why is this so important? Faith demands that we believe that God has supplied all our needs and live like it. To continually beg God for basic needs and necessities proves we do not trust Him. Our lack of trust bars us from His Presence because fear and doubt have created a barrier. However, those who know God will supply all they need can move to a greater concept of faith which is justice. Those who are guilty cannot ask for justice or it will implicate them in their own wrong doing. People who confess Jesus Christ to be Lord but live in the captivity and bondage of sin will not be able to seek justice so they will never be satisfied. Justice is rightfulness to claim or title. In other words, we are made right by Jesus Christ and allowed to access freedom that gains us entrance to the Presence of God. His Throne is rooted in “justice and righteousness”. (Psalm 89:14) We claim our promises as Heirs to the Throne but cannot have it if we are traitors to the Kingdom. We are to pursue justice but cannot do that if we remain guilty in sin. Willful sin is rebellion against the Kingdom of God. If we approach God in such a condition, His Unfailing Love will not let us in or we would be consumed in our filthy state. God made His Presence accessible to all of His People.
John 14:6-11 (NLT)
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.”
Do not judge our friend, Philip, too harshly! If Jesus Christ was walking the earth today, we probably wouldn’t believe Him either. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. “If you would had know me, you would now who my Father is…” The downfall of most Christians is they know not who they have believed. If you really believe that Jesus Christ and that He died for your sin and was resurrected by the Power of the Living God on the third day now ascended to the Throne of God planning His Return AND IF we really believed that there was such a thing as Judgment Day AND MOST IMPORTANTLY if we really understood that His Spirit lives on the inside of us to prepare us for that day not to give us what we want for now – I believe the Fire of God would hit the church and revival would break out as Men and Women of God lived as His Temple once more. Jesus was standing right there in front of Philip and this man could not even recognize the Messiah, the Lord and Savior in his midst. Don’t worry, Philip, most of us would probably make the very same mistake. The secret to satisfaction is Jesus Christ. There is no other Way to access God’s Promises. There is no other truth that remains through the test of time. There is no way to experience life outside of His Blood and Sacrifice.
Romans 8:3-5 (NLT)
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
God knew we could not make it into His Presence along made evident by man’s inability to follow ten simple rules. Human nature is just too weak. The flesh rages uncontrollably. Don’t believe me. Try to fast for a day without the Power of God given by His Spirit and fed by His Word. Even the strongest believer struggles as first at the power of the human will and strength of fleshly desire. I have fasted for many years in varying degrees and I am still taken back the fight my flesh puts up every single time I try to keep it from what it wants. God took His Word wrapped it in flesh named it Jesus and sent it into this world to lead us by example. Jesus Christ died a brutal death that included 39 stripes to heal you from every disease and a crown of thorns driven in His Head to allow us the Mind of Christ. When He ascended to Heaven after overcoming the world, Jesus poured out His Spirit on all mankind. Now we can be satisfied, because by His Grace, Mercy and Love we can cry out for justice as Children of God. You are free from sin. Any remaining shackles are of your own doing and easily discarded through repentance. Repentance is nothing more than turning your life back over to Jesus for safekeeping. You will never find satisfaction in this world only in His Presence. You cannot mock the justice of God by living any way and still follow the WAY into His Courts. The treasure of God is available to those who seek His Heart and not His Hand. “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians6:7-9)
Psalm 17:15 (NLT)
Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.
Righteousness is the Gift of God given through Jesus Christ. It allows us to rightfully claim our title as Child of God. In this place, there is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) The Lord has the ability to satisfy every hunger and thirst you have physically, emotionally and spiritually if you will only grant Him access to that part of your life. (Psalm 145:16-17) His Unfailing Love will satisfy our soul. (Psalm 90:14) Even in our darkest hour, we know that God is with us and will never leave us. His Word leads to satisfaction as it points to the Way. (Proverbs 3:1-1) Knowledge, understanding and discernment build a pathway of wisdom that allows us to navigate the Highway of Holiness successfully into the Presence of God in full right-standing through the Precious Blood of Jesus. (Proverbs 3:16-18) The Lord will satisfy you with a peaceful life even in the midst of rumors of war. (Psalm 4:6-8) If God’s People would strive to remain faithful, obedient and willing to continue in the Way, Truth and Life – satisfaction would find them!
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NKJV)
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Contentment allows us to chase after His Righteousness without needing anything this world has to offer but the Lord does not want you to stop there. Jesus Christ made a Way for us to experience the fullness of life and power that can only come from God in the land of the living. The Love of Christ makes a way for you to find contentment in godliness that will make a way for you to be satisfied with the Fullness of God that is about to overflow in your life. You will be complete lacking no good thing! (Psalm 34:10) This is the secret to successful satisfaction and it is free for the willing!
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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