Sin has taken something from us. Ever since the fall, man has been left searching for that sense of completeness and fulfillment.

When you move from a good life to a worse one, you know it; you are aware that something is missing. As humans, we know that something is missing; we know that we are not all that we can be. Therefore, we long to experience it.

“Maybe you’ve heard about the guy whose life goal was to climb a certain mountain. When he finally reached the top, he was terribly disappointed. There was nowhere else for him to go, and something was still missing in his life. It’s like the pro football player who gets depressed after winning the Super Bowl.”[1]

“Because we are created in God’s image, with spiritual, intellectual, creative, moral and relational capacities, we will never be satisfies with a superficial, mindless culture or religion; the result is that religious and irreligious people alike are experiencing deep spiritual hunger.”[2]

We try to fill that emptiness

What do you think people do in order to be fulfilled? Where did we get the notion that such things will really make us complete again?

Depending where you are in life, you may have the notion that fulfillment is acquired by money, relationships, social status, jobs, etc. Some of these are very hard to achieve and therefore it takes a long time to get there. The only sad news is that after years, or a lifetime of pursuing whatever you think brings fulfillment, you may get there and be totally disappointed. How sad, to work hard all your life to achieve something only to realize it was the wrong thing to pursue.

Our attempts don’t produce the desired effect (from below)

Man has tried to fill the emptiness he feels in many ways. Solomon tried it all: wisdom, riches, women, etc. Zacchaeus, felt for a long time that having money was the answer, but when he met Jesus, he knew that money wasn’t the answer.

1. The Prodigal son – (Luke 15:11-32), who was looking for fulfillment. His idea of a fulfilled life meant partying, spending money, having friends, eating out all the time, not working hard, not having a boss, etc. In the end this young man realized he was happier, more fulfilled in a home where was structure, moral expectations and love.

2. The rich young ruler – (Mark 10:17-23) This young man, inherited a great deal of money. In earthly terms, he had it all; he was fulfilled. However, he exhibits some sort of spiritual unfulfillment. This young man tells Jesus that he has kept all the commandments since he was a boy. What do you think, did he really keep all the commandments? I don’t think so! At any rate, Jesus looked at him and loved him. (Mark 18:21)

Did you wonder why it was so hard for this young man to do what Jesus asked him to do? That is sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor. You would think that someone who keeps all the commandments understands them and understands the heart of God, as well. Why do you think that man’s attempt to bring fulfillment to his life, does not work?

God has/is the solution (from above)

Augustine said of God, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”. Pascal said only God is able to fill our “God-shaped vacuum.” Only a deep connection with God will bring fulfillment.

In today’s culture, very few college students have ongoing contact with church. Why? Dick Staub in his book, The Culturally Savvy Christian suggests that the number one reason the younger generation leaves the church is because they never experienced God there.[3]

The talk about the spiritual seeking means one thing to the secular people and another to the church. Popular culture believes that the destination is personal fulfillment and the church teaches that the destination is heaven. Staub suggests that our destination should be God himself and not some future bliss.[4]

Most people don’t believe that God is essential to human life and experience. They don’t think something really important is missing. If they did, they would not place God on the periphery of their life. Instinctively we may know that we need to go deeper with God, yet we fail to make space for God to go deeper in us.[5]

ONLY UNION WITH GOD SATISFIES AND RESTORES OUR DEEPER LONGINGS.

[2] Staub Dick, “The Cuulturally Savvy Christian”, p. 69

[3] Staub Dick, “The Cuulturally Savvy Christian”, p. 72

[4] Ibid.

[5] Staub Dick, “The Cuulturally Savvy Christian”, p. 79

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“To engage in the written word means to follow a line of thought, which requires considerable powers of classifying, inference making, and reasoning. An image-based society, on the other hand, dispenses with all these because images do not demand them to think. As a result of the dominance of the television, one idea seems as good as another. Entertainment, gratification, and sensory stimulation displace reason, morality, and truth.” (Dick Staub, The Culturally Savvy Christian, p.8)

The Bible tells us that God created the world through His Word. Jesus is the Logos (the Word of God) and Christians are commanded to love God with their mind… not their eyes. How can a man obey and follow the words of God if he does not know them – read, memorize, and meditate on them?

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