Jesus Satisfies.

“We’re all searching for something to fill up what I like to call that big, God-shaped hole in our souls. Some people use alcohol, or sex, or their children, or food, or money, or music, or heroin. A lot of people even use the concept of God itself."

--Tiffanie DeBartolo

Last night at Primetime, Andy spoke on Matthew 14, when Jesus feeds the 5,000 men, plus their women and children.  One thing that he said continues to resonate with me.  He spoke about how we have these things that we continue to hold onto with closed hands--things that we trust in, rely upon, believe in--because at a heart level, we don't believe that Jesus is to be trusted.  

In verses 15-18, Andy spoke about how the disciples didn't want to share the food that they had.  He covered this logically, saying: 

        1. God is sovereign.  Nothing is our own--it is all on loan from God. 

        2. God will take much better care of it than us--if you give it up to the Father, He will return it in perfection, just like our earthly fathers do with our toys. 

        3. The things we trust in will consume our lives.  If they already consume us and we are holding onto them for life, they will destroy us and take our lives.  

In Matthew 14: 20, the Bible says:

'They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.'

So not only did Jesus satisfy, but he left his disciples with more than they had in the first place!  Jesus saw a need--a hunger--in his crowd.  He saw that need and he filled it.  But he didn't just barely quench their hunger, he satisfied them.  Like the kind of satisfied we get after Thanksgiving dinner and he still had leftovers!  

See here's the thing, striving for perfection, for thinness, for grades--none of that brings the satisfaction that Jesus does.  All of these things will dull the hunger, but none will fill it.  

In John 4, Jesus talks about never thirsting again if we drink of the living water that he provides for us.  Jesus satisfies!  

We all have an aching for Jesus, a longing for him.  But we try to fill it with everything but Jesus.  But when we fill it with Jesus, he will satisfy.  When we fill it with Jesus, the cycle will start to break.  We will no longer continue to return to the same place.  

Because Jesus satisfies. 

Where Is Our Joy?

A friend of mine asked this today: 

"Why aren't Christians happy? We have the greatest news wrapped in the greatest savior who made the greatest sacrifice so we could have a great purpose, a great hope, and a great Father. WHERE IS THE JOY?"

It was this last question that stuck out at me. Where is our joy? If you look at the facts, we have everything. No, our lives are not perfect. But we aren't starving. We have roofs over our head, clothes on our body, shoes on our feet. We just came out of a season of giving, of joy, of celebration because our savior was born. 

Where is our joy?

Have we forgotten that we are sinners, born in sin, and that we deserve to die? But not just die, have we forgotten that we deserve eternal separation from love, from hope, from peace, from God in Hell? Have we forgotten that God came to us in human form? That He took on our pain, our suffering, our failures, our shame... He took on all of the sin and evil in this world and put it to death by dying for us? Have we forgotten that God died the most shameful and painful death in order that we may live forever with Him? Have we forgotten that Jesus conquered death? That we will live with God forever? Have we forgotten that we are children of the King Most High? That we are loved? 

Where is our joy? 

We dare to ask that question. 

Why, when we have everything, why are do we not have joy? 

It's because we have forgotten. 

We have forgotten that loving God, that having a relationship with Him, is radical. This is not normal. It is not normal to be unconditionally loved by the Creator of the Universe. It's not normal for God to take on human flesh and die for our sins. It's not normal for God to chase us while we continually fail and don't care about it. 

Where is our joy?

Our joy is at the cross. We left it there. We took the comfort and relief and love that comes from knowing that we are beloved children of the God Most High. We went to church. We read the Bible. We prayed. We did what we were supposed to do.

Where is our joy?

We have made God so second-nature. We forget how radical His love truly is. We forget that God is a big deal. Francis Chan, the author of Crazy Love, says it best: 

“The core problem isn’t the fact that we’re lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of

God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He’s great and deserves to be the center of our lives.” 

Do you know how crazy God's love is? Is God at the center of your life? Are you going to Him daily, drinking deeply of His hope and joy, and loving Him fully?

Or have you forgotten how radical God really is? 

Where is our joy?

In the Creator.

Not in the creation. 

Not in this world. 

Our joy lies in the radical love of God. 

In a love that cannot be made normal because there is nothing normal about it.

Our joy is in the cross.