THE
TRAVESTY OF THE UNSATISFIED LIFE
BREAD
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly
meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
3 What does man gain from
all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 (NIV)
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart
no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for
all my labor. 11 Yet when I
surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything
was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes
2:10-11 (NIV)
19 Moreover,
when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them,
to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his
life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes
5:19-20 (NIV)
13 Now
all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his
commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including
every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)
10 Jesus
answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it
is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given
you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw
with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who
gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks
and herds?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks
the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will
become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:10-14 (NIV)
1 Praise the LORD,
O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD,
O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- 3 who
forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and
crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who
satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the
eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 (NIV)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. 16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. 17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:14-17 (NIV)
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
37 On
the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to
me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the
Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom
those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had
not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. John 7:37-39 (NIV)
BUTTER
“If
I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the
most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” C.S.
Lewis
“Because I love you, I’m asking you to guard your heart from anyone or anything that can steal you away from Me. Remember, My love, this world offers a counterfeit Life that will never fulfill you. What I create for you will satisfy your soul; what the enemy offers will satisfy your flesh for a while. However, in the end the world’s way leads to destruction. If your heart wanders and you are not equipped with My Word, you will be unable to discern the difference between real faith and counterfeit religion.” Sheri Rose Shepherd
“Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God.” John Piper
“Aren't you, like me, hoping that some person,
thing, or event will come along to give you that final feeling of inner
well-being you desire? Don't you often hope: 'May this book, idea, course,
trip, job, country or relationship fulfill my deepest desire.' But as long as
you are waiting for that mysterious moment you will go on running
helter-skelter, always anxious and restless, always lustful and angry, never
fully satisfied. You know that this is the compulsiveness that keeps us going
and busy, but at the same time makes us wonder whether we are getting anywhere
in the long run. This is the way to spiritual exhaustion and burn-out. This is
the way to spiritual death.” Henri Nouwen
“Nothing is more foolish than to rest satisfied with the
present state, which we see to be fleeting; and every man is mistaken who hopes
to be able to obtain perfect happiness till he has ascended to God….But this
would be of no avail, if the manner of seeking him were not pointed out; and
therefore he exhibits the Word, from which we must not in any respect turn
aside; for if we make the smallest departure from it, we shall be involved in
strange labyrinths, and shall find no way of extricating ourselves.” John Calvin
“Are you experiencing the
schizophrenia of having eternity hardwired into your heart but living as if
this moment is all there is? It is sad
how many people constantly live in the schizophrenic craziness of eternity
amnesia. We were created to live in a forever relationship with a forever God
forever. We were designed to live based on a long view of life. We were made to
live with one eye on now and one eye on eternity. You and I simply cannot live
as we are put together to live without forever. But so many people try. They
put all their hopes and dreams in the right here, right now
situations, locations, possessions, positions, and people of their daily
lives. They load moment after moment with undeliverable expectations. They ask people to be what people this
side of eternity will never be. They demand that a seriously
broken world deliver what it could never deliver even if it were not broken....(Our)
eternity amnesia makes us unrealistically expectant, vulnerable to
temptation, all too driven, dependent on people and things that will only
disappoint us, and sadly susceptible to doubting the goodness of God.
Recognizing the eternity that is to come allows you to be realistic without
being hopeless, and hopeful when things around you don't encourage much hope.” Paul David Tripp
“Kate Spade's
death challenges the kind of thinking that keeps many of us going: that certain
‘achievements’ — whether it's fame or money or family — are indicators of a
happy life and content mind. We begin to understand that there is often a
contrast to what we see on the surface — and, in Spade or any other celebrity's
case, to what we see in ads or on TV — and who someone really is. We learn that
what we see may have nothing to do with reality. And that's a bitter pill to
swallow.” Peggy
Drexler
“Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.” Abba
Poemen
“To serve and honor God at every turn in life, we must follow the voice
of the Holy Spirit and not our flesh. In our desire to live holy and righteous
lives, we must determine to rely upon Him for guidance and direction. When we
do, we will avoid potential pitfalls and heartache.” Michael
Youssef
HEART SAVOR
·
A person
is truly satisfied when God is the desire of his heart. Christ is to be our sufficiency and our
strength. When we are filled to the brim
with Him we have something to give and all that we receive is simply a cherry
on top.
·
No earthly
thing will eternally satisfy. The heart
was created for far more than the dross of this earth.
·
When God
is your portion who needs more?
