Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Our Source Of Inward Satisfaction

Psalm 17:15 – As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

THEME OF THE DAY. OUR SOURCE OF INWARD SATISFACTION. So, let’s imagine you and I are having lunch together. It is a time of encouraging fellowship as well as spiritual challenge. This is an important time and one we keep regularly on our calendars. We won’t compromise this apart from emergencies. We have learned the value and even spiritual necessity of having a spiritual partner outside of our physical family to help in this journey called “the Christian life.” Now obviously, you and I are not going to be in that type of relationship since we are “electronically-connected”, but I hope each of you have a spiritual partner. I hope each of us have and are in “Epaphroditus-type” relationships with another Christian or two. Oh, in case you might be scratching your heads and thinking, “Epaphroditus? . . . not familiar with him”, let me introduce him to you. He is the example of the type of Christian relationship we are to have with other Christians. Here is how the Apostle Paul described him – “I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need” (Philippians 2:25). Notice four things about this dear brother in his relationship with the Apostle Paul. He was his “brother” which implies spiritual intimacy. He was his “fellow worker” which implies co-laborer in the Gospel. He was his “fellow soldier” which implies someone who knows the tears and toil of Gospel ministry. He was also a messenger who brings good news of encouragement and a minister to meet Paul’s physical needs. What a wonderful description of true fellowship. May God help us seek such relationships, but let’s get back to lunch . . .

As we sit across from each other, the question is proposed by me, not to you, but to us . . . “How do we satisfy the deep longings and cravings in our soul for contentment, purpose, and inward satisfaction?” Before we exchange answers, I start by saying, “Well, how does the world do it?” We start listing things off . . . materialism, personal achievements, fame, social acceptance, human relationships, money, physical comfort, leisure, hobbies, recreations, family, jobs, internet, social media, and a few other things get volleyed across our table. Then, we get real “Epaphroditus-like” and look at each other saying, “What about us?” Since we love each other and are brutally honest, we confess that some of these ways the world seeks inward satisfaction also creep into our lives. And in some small measure that is okay, but they are never to be THE source of inward satisfaction or get the lion’s share of our time seeking to satisfy us. For instance, if we are giving more time to Facebook than coming face-to-face with the Lord Jesus in His Word and prayer, then we are choosing the world over the Word to satisfy our inward desire for satisfaction and contentment. And it will not deliver. Oh for a season, a moment it will, but not in the long haul of life. The world will always leave us wanting.

Friends, God has determined by creation and salvation there will only be one source of satisfying our souls and providing us with the inward peace of contentment. It isn’t in this world. It isn’t in things. It is only in Him; and particularly in His Son the Lord Jesus. In today’s Psalm, the Psalmist knew it. He had come to grips with the spiritual reality that we were created to find our satisfaction and contentment in beholding Christ, conforming into His image, and making Him the priority of our lives. And the inner peace and satisfaction we gain when truly Christ is our all in all.

Well, lunch is over and we are parting ways. As we leave, we smile and tell one another, “Keep the main thing the main thing. Let Jesus be our source of inward satisfaction.”

PRAYER: “Lord, protect me from the deception of seeking soul satisfaction in the world and not in You.”

QUOTE: “God has determined we will only be satisfied in Him alone; anything or anyone else cannot do it.”