Never Satisfied... Except in Christ
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. 8 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. Ecc 1:7-8 NLT
Nothing ultimately satisfies the flesh. Nothing. Pick your poison – food, drink, entertainment, vacations, drugs, careers, etc. ad Infinitum. The flesh craves more – another hit of pleasure that eventually wears off, leaving us feeling empty again. Food will satisfy hunger… until we’re again hungry. The buzz wears off, the show ends, every shiny new thing that we buy ends up in a landfill. We build identities out of our career only to be replaced within a month of our departure. And so the world turns, billions of people every day trying to find identity, purpose, value, and satisfaction. If only I could just have ________________, I’ll be satisfied
Jim Carrey famously said, “I wish everybody could get rich and famous and have everything they ever dreamed of, so they will know that its not the answer.” Sound familiar? It should, because King Solomon said something very much like this in the book of Ecclesiastes. “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” As Christians we know this. Yet, on this American treadmill its so easy to lose sight. We work, we slave, we play, we eat, we drink… and we get so lost in all of it. Don’t misunderstand me, there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of this (Except drugs. Drugs are bad!). But, when we live as if these things will bring a sense of ultimacy or identity, then we are putting too much value into them. We are ascribing to them Savior-value when they are not our Saviors.
Beloved, Jesus changes all of this. In Christ, we are free from the vanity of our hedonistic pleasures and pursuits of self-worth. Many of these things can be enjoyed, but only as God’s gracious gifts. But Jesus offers something more, something greater. He offers living water which will quench our spiritual thirst eternally. Jesus offers himself as the Bread of Heaven who will satisfy our spiritual hunger. He alone quiets the soul, renews the mind, and offers us real, experiential rest. I no longer need to find my worth in what I do. Jesus offers us a way to live outside of the rat race.
Why then, do we (read: I) fall back into Vanity Fair? Simple answer, it’s shiny and we like pleasure. Everything we see and hear is an invitation for us to shift our allegiance. Like Solomon said, “No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.” The solution, if I may be so bold, is to turn off the TV, turn down the noise, log off social media, open your bible (not on your phone) and sit. Read (even just a little). Pray. Listen to what God is saying through his Word.
Over the past month or so, I’ve been utterly overwhelmed. I found myself on the American treadmill – wanting more from my career, and zoning out to the endless streams of noise that is all around us. But on Saturday, I went to the church, sat in the quiet, read and prayed through a few psalms, laid face-flat on the floor and just talked to the Lord. And you know what… it wasn’t ‘work,’ it was rest. And, ya’ll, it felt good.
Love you all!
Pastor Matthew
Nothing ultimately satisfies the flesh. Nothing. Pick your poison – food, drink, entertainment, vacations, drugs, careers, etc. ad Infinitum. The flesh craves more – another hit of pleasure that eventually wears off, leaving us feeling empty again. Food will satisfy hunger… until we’re again hungry. The buzz wears off, the show ends, every shiny new thing that we buy ends up in a landfill. We build identities out of our career only to be replaced within a month of our departure. And so the world turns, billions of people every day trying to find identity, purpose, value, and satisfaction. If only I could just have ________________, I’ll be satisfied
Jim Carrey famously said, “I wish everybody could get rich and famous and have everything they ever dreamed of, so they will know that its not the answer.” Sound familiar? It should, because King Solomon said something very much like this in the book of Ecclesiastes. “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” As Christians we know this. Yet, on this American treadmill its so easy to lose sight. We work, we slave, we play, we eat, we drink… and we get so lost in all of it. Don’t misunderstand me, there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of this (Except drugs. Drugs are bad!). But, when we live as if these things will bring a sense of ultimacy or identity, then we are putting too much value into them. We are ascribing to them Savior-value when they are not our Saviors.
Beloved, Jesus changes all of this. In Christ, we are free from the vanity of our hedonistic pleasures and pursuits of self-worth. Many of these things can be enjoyed, but only as God’s gracious gifts. But Jesus offers something more, something greater. He offers living water which will quench our spiritual thirst eternally. Jesus offers himself as the Bread of Heaven who will satisfy our spiritual hunger. He alone quiets the soul, renews the mind, and offers us real, experiential rest. I no longer need to find my worth in what I do. Jesus offers us a way to live outside of the rat race.
Why then, do we (read: I) fall back into Vanity Fair? Simple answer, it’s shiny and we like pleasure. Everything we see and hear is an invitation for us to shift our allegiance. Like Solomon said, “No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.” The solution, if I may be so bold, is to turn off the TV, turn down the noise, log off social media, open your bible (not on your phone) and sit. Read (even just a little). Pray. Listen to what God is saying through his Word.
Over the past month or so, I’ve been utterly overwhelmed. I found myself on the American treadmill – wanting more from my career, and zoning out to the endless streams of noise that is all around us. But on Saturday, I went to the church, sat in the quiet, read and prayed through a few psalms, laid face-flat on the floor and just talked to the Lord. And you know what… it wasn’t ‘work,’ it was rest. And, ya’ll, it felt good.
Love you all!
Pastor Matthew
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