Men, God made you with the natural desires for food and drink. When you become hungry you desire food and when you become thirsty you desire something to drink. And when you get something to eat and drink you are satisfied, until the next urge comes. This is how you were made. You were also made to be spiritually satisfied with righteousness, that is, with living in right relationship with God. Adam lived a spiritually satisfying righteous life prior to the fall. Christ certainly did as well when He lived on the earth (John 4:34, Hebrews 12:2).
However, after the fall man became discontent. Adam decided to disobey God and no longer live in right relationship to God. At that point satisfaction was replaced by discontentment. All of us come into this world with the same discontentment. And many of us try to replace it with scenic vacations, sports, drugs, romance, career advancement, money, peer acceptance and approval, and many other things that were never meant to satisfy. The discontentment creeps back every time. This is why Isaiah poses the question, “Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and you labor for that which does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2)
Do you live with an underlying discontentment? Are you frustrated with your life? Maybe—perhaps unconsciously—you are seeking satisfaction from the wrong things, and those things are leaving you unsatisfied and discouraged.
According to Christ, the only thing that can satisfy man spiritually is righteousness. Sinful man needs to be forgiven and declared right with God on the basis of the righteous life of Christ. True heartfelt satisfaction can’t be had unless this acceptance is granted by God through faith in Christ. In addition to this legal standing, the Christian man needs to live a righteous life by obeying the Word of God in dependence upon God’s grace. When you men know that you are right with God and are seeking to live in right relationship with God, you will be satisfied.
Christ says you are blessed if you experience such satisfaction. Why? Because you were made to be satisfied in God by being and living in right relationship with Him. Now complete satisfaction won’t be experienced until Christ returns and you are made fully like Him. As the psalmist says, “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake —Psalm 17:5.
Men, are you spiritually hungry and thirsty? Where are you seeking satisfaction? In
God or ?????
1 comment:
I hope and pray every man involved in Mens Ministry is reaping spiritual encouragement from the Scripture we are studying and the fellowship. These past few weeks have been a challenge to me as God has shone a light into my heart and revealed shortcomings in my life. Fortunately He also has shown me hope and encouragement through His Word and my brothers in Christ. May God richly invest you as you grow together.
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