Yet Somehow We Are Not Satisfied

John 7:37

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

Jesus went with his disciples to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.  The feast began five days after the Day of Atonement at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness.  The celebration for the feast lasted for 8 days.  It was a grand feast by earthly measures.

On the last and greatest day of the feast, every man and woman would have surely filled themselves with food and drink and enjoyed and experienced all that the celebration had to offer them.  Yet Jesus knew that there would still be a hunger there that was unsatisfied.  He welcomed them to come to Him for the satisfaction that only He could provide.

As we stand here at the end of our year and our Christmas season, the same holds true for us today. God has protected us and provided for us as we have gone through yet another wild year in our out-of-control world.  We have just completed a season of celebration.  We have over-filled ourselves with food, drink, gifts and festive experiences.  Yet somehow we are not satisfied.  

Jesus knows.  He is waiting for those who are thirsty.  Those who choose to go to Him will be completely satisfied.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the provisions and protections that You have provided throughout the past year.  We bless the name of Jesus through whom all of Your grace, mercy and loving kindness has been released to us.  We confess, Lord, that we have filled ourselves on all the world has offered and yet we are still unsatisfied.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will guide us and strengthen us as we learn to forsake the world and surrender completely to Your Son who invites us into His life.  May we live in the fullness and glory of His presence.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our strength, our power and our eternal satisfaction.    

Pathway to Intimacy with Almighty God

2 Chronicles 5:7

Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim.

The Holy of Holies, also known as the Most Holy Place, was the inner room of the Jewish Temple in which was kept the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, the Cherubim, manna, Aaron's rod and a copy of the 10 Commandments. It was the place where blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat (the lid on top of the Ark) as an atonement for the sins of Israel.  The single high priest designated for duty on the day of atonement was the only person allowed to enter the Holy of Holies.  That was the only time in the entire year that anyone could enter.  It was the only path and process that the Jewish people had in order to gain access to Almighty God.

Jesus changed all of that.  Upon His death on the Cross, the veil that separated the people from the Most Holy Place was torn in two.  In one divine moment access to the throne of God was opened to all people for all time.  

What a wondrous privilege we have been given.  We no longer have to wait on anyone to enter into a direct, intimate relationship with Our Father in heaven.  Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, permanently opened the way for us to enter the Holy of Holies. 

As we take advantage of our blessing, let us remember that it is pleasing to God when we enter His throne room.  But let us be sure to learn from the actions of the high priest in approaching the Most Holy Place.  

As we approach Almighty God, let us:

1. Enter His presence with awe and reverence.
2. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and with praise.
3. Make a personal commitment to surrender to His will for our lives.
4. Seek personal cleansing and forgiveness through the confession of our sins.
5. Pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
6. Pray according to His Word.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us access to Your throne through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  We bless the name of Your Son for providing the pathway for us to have a personal relationship with You.  We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will help us to approach Your throne in the manner that is pleasing to You.  We ask that we be given the grace that we need to pay the price necessary to gain the intimacy that we seek with You.  We ask all these things in the name of our High Priest and Mediator, Jesus Christ.

Living Under the Authority of God's Holy Word

Mark 1:22

The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority--quite unlike the teachers of religious law.

The Jews were astonished at the great truths that Jesus was teaching.  The nature and importance of what He was teaching was unlike anything that they had ever heard.  The teaching of Jesus was distinctly different from the teaching of the Scribes, who relied so heavily on traditions.  The manner in which He taught was also different.  He taught with such grace, such gravity and such majesty.  His teaching was rich in evidence and power.  He taught as if He had the authority to do so and needed to rely on no one else for the basis of His teaching.  He taught independent of all men, all tradition and the religiousity that preceded Him.  He taught fully dependent on His Father in heaven.

What made Jesus’ teaching distinctly different from the teachers of the law was that He taught and lived under the absolute authority of Almighty God.  Everything that Jesus did was based on the truth in God’s Word.  No wonder he stood out from teachers of the law who based their teaching on every other form of authority.  Some sought their authority based on the things that they had reasoned through their own logic.  Some sought their authority based on the traditions that history had revealed to them.  Some sought their authority based on the trending ethics and morals of their culture.  Some even sought their authority based on their emotion.  It is no wonder that the people were able to recognize the brilliance of Jesus’ teaching.

Although we may never be teachers, we must decide under what authority that we will make our daily life decisions.  Shall we make our life decisions based on our own reasoning?  Shall we make our decisions based on what traditions teach us?  Shall we make our life decisions based on what is trending in our culture?  Shall we make our life decisions based on how we feel?  If we follow any of these false forms of authority, we will open ourselves up to short-term regrets and eternal risks.  Let us make all of our life decisions under the only real authority - God’s Holy Word.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us the Truth, Your Son, Jesus.  We thank You for the amazing and life-changing doctrine that He delivered to us with divine authority.  We praise You for inspiring the authors of the Books of the Bible so that we might have the Good News of the Gospel for presentation throughout the ages.  We pray, Lord, that our lives will be living testimonies to the way, the truth and the life that Your Son secured for us on the Cross.  May the world around us be drawn to Your Son, Jesus, as they see us living under the divine authority of Your Holy Word.  We ask all these things in the name of the Witness to the People, Jesus Christ.

The Sudden Power of Almighty God

Acts 16:26

Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

Paul and Silas were preaching the gospel in Philippi when they were stripped of their clothes, beaten with rods and placed in the inner prison with their feet fastened in stocks.  Their situation sure seemed pretty dire, but they did not lose their joy.  At the end of a day of great personal trial, they were observed praying and singing hymns around the midnight hour.

Suddenly, there was a great response from the heavens that freed Paul and Silas and led to the salvation of the jailer and his family.  It is important to notice the use of the word “suddenly.”  It is used throughout scripture to announce dramatic life changing events purposefully orchestrated by Almighty God.  Here are just a few other examples:

In Acts 9:3 - As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light ...

In Acts 2:2 - Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came ...

In Luke 2:13 - Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared ...

As we approach the new year, we should go forward without fear and doubt.  In His Holy Word, God inspired the writers to call out the many ways that He wields His power on our behalf.  All of the recorded demonstrations of God’s sudden power should give us hope for every situation in which we find ourselves.  But be certain not to miss the actions of Paul and Silas.  They never lost their joy.  They were still praying and singing hymns in the aftermath of severe suffering in their lives.  Surely, we have a role to play in calling the "suddenly's" of Almighty God into our lives.  Indeed, we are called to maintain our joy and continue in praise and prayer as we wait on Our Heavenly Father to intercede on our behalf.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for being our all-sufficient Lord.  We bless the name of Jesus whose death on the Cross gained victory for us over everything that the enemy tries to bring against us.  We rejoice in knowing that You will release Your power in our lives exactly and suddenly when we need it.  We pray, Father, that we will be given the grace to find joy in every trial.  We ask that we be given the strength to continue in prayer and praise when everything seems to be falling apart around us.  We ask all these things in the name of our refuge from the storm, Jesus Christ. 

Renewing Our Minds and Reordering Our Thinking

Colossians 3:2 

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

As we move toward the new year, let us follow the instruction of God's Holy Word and set our minds on things that are above in heaven where Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father.  Let us intentionally replace the images of sorrow, suffering, personal horror and overwhelming struggles continuing to pile up in the daily news from the world, and perhaps even in our own personal worlds, with images of goodness such as the the joyous images of the Christmas season that are fresh in our minds.  Let us recognize that our current reality is in God's future plan for us and not in today's news.  Let us grasp with hope and faith that God has a good and perfect plan for every broken person and for every painful situation.  Let us reorder our thinking so that the power of Heaven can be released in our lives.

Know that it will not be easy to take the higher path.  The pathway to fear and despair are easy roads directed downward by emotion and logic.  Certainly the world will be ready to mock us if we dare to take the higher road when our destination cannot be seen with the natural eye.  Let us be strengthened by the knowledge that we are always secure in Jesus Christ no matter what is happening around us.  Let us rejoice in knowing that our final destination will be our testimony of God's faithfulness.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessed hope and assurance that we have in Your Son, Jesus Christ.  We bless His name for He is our anchor, firm and secure.  We pray, Lord, that You will open our eyes so that we may see Your goodness in the dark world that surrounds us.  We ask that the Holy Spirit renew and reorder our thinking so that we may align our thinking with Your heart and Your kingdom purpose.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Hope that springs eternal, Jesus Christ.