Never Satisfied

Never Satisfied:

Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.

-Proverbs 27:20

I spent the first 35 years of my life rebelling against God trying to find satisfaction in chasing girls, winning trophies, getting promotions, running a business, and making lots of money. Regardless of my level of success or failure in those pursuits – I was never satisfied.

Our enemy, satan, tells us the same NUANCED lie he’s been telling from the beginning.  The big lie the enemy told the woman in the garden was, “God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.”

Think about that statement for a moment.  Every poor choice you’ve ever made has been the result of believing what the enemy told you. “Go ahead. Do it. You deserve it!”  The lie worked on Eve, and it works on us too. It works regarding that flirtatious relationship at work as the enemy whispers, “Go ahead. Do it. Nobody will know… You know you want to.” It works regarding your addiction, the enemy casually creates opportunities, “Oh! Lookie there! Go ahead. Do it. You know it’ll make you feel better than you do now.” Just like the woman we are enamored and drawn to the lie rather than crushing its source.

Why? Because we believe the lie the enemy has put into our mind: that thing will be a good thing because it is “pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.” So just like the woman, we take the fruit and eat. The funny thing about sin is that the first thing it perverts is community. We aren’t content to be stuck in sin alone so we pull others into our rebellion. “She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

Q: Why are we so easily deceived and led astray?

A: Because God created us with God-sized desires and human-sized foresight.

Q: Why are we powerless to crush the source?

A: Because God created us to walk with Him and not alone.

We were made to be cultivated & to cultivate others in relationship with God. We were also made to be watched over & to watch over others in relationship with God. We were made as commUNITY – just as God, our Creator, is commUNITY (Gen 1:26-27).

Q: But if Adam & Eve failed then how can anyone possibly be victorious where a sinless man and woman failed?

A: Jesus enters stage from above.  See Romans 6:23.

We’re never satisfied because God created us with God-sized desires.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 states, “God placed eternity in the hearts of humanity…” The Garden of Eden wasn’t a hiccup in God’s plan – it was foreseen by God and accounted for in Jesus, the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8; 1 Peter 1:20).

The ‘ride’ of the world always comes crashing to an abominable, loathsome, and grim end. Sometimes, because of His amazing grace, God allows that to happen this side of eternity.

Are you cruising through life enjoying the promise of something you find pleasing? Maybe it is an inappropriate relationship outside of God’s design for marriage (1 man : 1 woman), a business practice in the ‘grey area,’ a drug addiction, disobedience toward parents/authority, or maybe using the things God has blessed you with (time, talents, treasure) for yourself rather than cultivating and watching over others in their relationship with God…

Q: How can you know if it’s ‘inappropriate’ or against God’s will, i.e. sin?

A: There are two ways: 1. Tell everyone on Facebook, Twitter, social media, your business partner, your parents, your Pastor, and your kids that you’re doing it (or like doing it). If that thought causes you to shudder or begin formulating excuses… then you’ll know. 2. To what extent does it directly serve the mission of God – bringing the Good News of Jesus to all the people of the earth – in accord with the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20).

The enemy only has power over you in the dark.

Freedom and life only come in the light of Christ.

If you’ve never been truly satisfied that’s because you’ve never been reconciled with your Creator and Savior – Jesus. He’s the only one that can fill the God-sized desires of the human heart.  Stop quenching and limiting the joy & satisfaction of life by your own restricted, deficient, narrow, and insufficient vision of life’s potential and possibilities. Stop the lame efforts to fill the void of dissatisfaction with specks of dust.

Jesus was drawing us to Himself when He said, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.”

So are you going to keep chasing vapors and pipe-dreams that result in death? Or are you going to be satisfied with eternal life in Christ?

Those have always and forever been the only two options.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live...  -Deut 30:19

Blessings,

-Kevin