"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Are you satisfied with God?

I am on the mailing list of a local church and today I read this article, Loving God for Who He Is: A Pastor's Perspective which was used in their monthly publication. It caught my attention from the first sentence: "One of the most important discoveries I have ever made is this truth: God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him."

Satisfied, eh? As in my life needs nothing more because I have all I need already? Wow! Whom do I know that can claim this wonderful thing? I included a few more quotes from it below.

Tragically most of us have been taught that duty, not delight, is the way to glorify God. But we have not been taught that delight in God is our duty! Being satisfied in God is not an optional add-on to the real stuff of Christian duty. It is the most basic demand of all. "Delight yourself in the Lord" (Psalm 37:4) is not a suggestion but a command. So are: "Serve the Lord with gladness" (Psalm 100:2); and: "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil. 4:4).

David and Asaph teach us by their own God-centered longings that God's gifts of health, wealth and prosperity do not satisfy. Only God does. It would be presumptuous not to thank him for his gifts ("Forget not all his benefits," Psalm 103:2); but it would be idolatry to call the gladness we get from them, love for God. When David said to the Lord: "In your presence there is fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures for evermore," (Psalm 16:11), he meant that nearness to God himself is the only all-satisfying experience of the universe.


Check out that article and ask yourself: Do I delight in God or the things I want from Him and the things He has provided for me? Am I satisfied with Him? Perhaps we are longing for more because we have not realized our hearts long for God.

In light of my dissatisfied months post-Damascus, this has struck a chord!


3 comments:

Angela said...

Perhaps we are longing for more because we have not realized our hearts long for God.

amen amen amen..this was POWERFUL girl...

Carmen S. said...

The Bible often uses the words hunger and thirst in regards to us and what our appetite for God should be.

Sometimes I know I've filled up on temporary junk food instead and my soul and spirit are tricked into believing I'm satisfied. Then, I can't figure out why I'm so discontent in areas.

Pastor's sermon yesterday included a point that said we need to remain in AWE of God. We throw around the word awesome a lot but to think of Him as truly awe-inspiring and worthy of that makes me think that we'd spend a lot more time delighting in Him if we just stopped to recognize Him as truly awesome.

PS - I haven't blogged since I returned from vacation but I hope to soon.

Here's the link

http://carmensauceda.blogspot.com/

Susanne said...

Carmen, I totally agree. We overuse awesome and amazing so that there is nothing really big left for God. I mean, a delicious pizza is "awesome" and a thrill ride is "amazing." What about God? I love what you pointed out about keeping a sense of awe about God. Thanks for the reminder!