3 reasons why we're never satisfied
When I first came to know the LORD, I learned (from Joyce Meyer) that we are made up of three parts: our body, soul, and spirit. The body is our physical body, which houses our spirit and our soul. Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. And if we are born-again Christians, our spirit is what will go to be with God in heaven when we die. Today, this blog post will mostly focus on our soul. That is the part that the Bible refers to as the "flesh". Our soul always wants to gratify itself, or the flesh. It tells us that we need that slice of chocolate cake or those new shoes (even though we don't need it); it is where our selfishness and greed comes from. If we are led by our soul and it's desires, we will never be satisfied because our soul has a hunger that can never be filled.
Have you ever found yourself getting bored or restless? Do you ever feel empty, anxious, or wanting things? I don't know about you, but I have times when I'm just not satisfied. I feel like I have this gaping hole or hunger, so I try to fill it with food. I eat things here and there until I'm full, but no matter what I eat, it just doesn't hit the spot. Or maybe I'm bored so I go out and buy things, but pretty soon those things get old, or they weren't as exciting as they were when I first bought them. So then I'm looking at the next new, shiny thing to buy (social media doesn't help with this). Maybe I had a bad or unfulfilling day at work, or I feel like I don't have a sense of purpose, so now I am on different search engines looking for another job. I am never quite satisfied, and when I am, it's not for long. This is terrible cycle that I have yet to break from, and I've asked myself, why am I never satisfied? Why do I always want more? Why can't I ever be content? So I started to look up Bible verses to help me, and below I will list 3 major reasons of why we are never satisfied.
The first reason is because our soul always wants more. We are naturally selfish and full of greed. We just can't get enough. I am speaking from first hand experience, so listen. Next month will be a year that I've purchased my first home, and I'm already looking at other homes. I don't hate my home. I still like and enjoy it, but I also think of what I don't like about it. I'm visualizing and making mental notes of what I want next (Next!? It hasn't even been a year!). I go on sites that show what homes are for sale in my area, and check out what I like about other homes. Then one day, it hit me. Why can't I just be happy with what I already have? I am so disappointing, I thought. God had blessed me with this home; yet, I'm blinded because I'm searching for the next big thing. I had to remind myself that there's always going to be something bigger, better, newer, or shinier. Proverbs 27:20 tells us, just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
The next reason is because we need to fill ourselves up with God, not food, money, possessions, and other stuff. We have a natural void that needs daily filling, it is a hole that can only be filled by God. In John 4:13-14 Jesus says, Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again, and Matthew 4:4 says It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. We need God. Our identity, value, worth, meaning, purpose, and satisfaction all comes from Him. These material and worldly things aren't meant to fulfill us, only God can. Though it is not a sin to enjoy them, we must not love them more than God.
Thirdly, we aren't enjoying what we currently have because we are coveting. Ecclesiastes 6:9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless like chasing the wind. We must learn to be thankful for what we have and be content. Life isn't about seeing who can acquire the most things, or looking at who has the finest things in life. Similar to what I mentioned above, when we desire or covet what other people have, we cannot be thankful for all that we do have. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 reminds us that we can't take any of these material items with us when we leave this earth. It reads, of course, godliness with contentment does bring a great profit. Nothing to this world we bring; from it take we nothing. With food to eat and clothes to wear; content we are in everything. At the end of the day, things are just things and stuff is just plain old stuff. It eventually gets old, dirty, rusty, or boring; however, the Bible has many verses to help us learn to be content, and speaks against being greedy.
Luke 12:15 says to Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions, and Matthew 6:19-20 says Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (You can read more about this in my post Store your treasures in Heaven). So instead of us trying to acquire more, not seeking God, and coveting, let us learn to be content with what we have. As we learn to fill ourselves with God, we can turn to the Bible to help us. There we will find our purpose, meaning, and gain wisdom. Maybe then, we will be satisfied and grateful. I will leave you with this verse Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2).
Let us pray.
Father God Almighty,
Thank You for this message and Your Word that guides us, for it is a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our paths (Psalm 119:105). Father, many of us experience an emptiness or void in our lives. Some of us are bored and restless. Others of us are not content, and just want more. Whatever it is LORD, help us to see the root of the issue. Remind us of what we do have, and help us to be grateful. Don't let our desire to acquire more things blind us of all that you have already blessed us with. Let Psalm 119:36-37 be our prayer which says, Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Your Word also tells us to love you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Teach s how to do this and enable us to do things that help our spiritual health. Help us to fill ourselves with You each day, for You are more than enough. I thank You and praise You, in Jesus name, amen.
Prayerfully,
Pam
