Tag Archives: Satisfaction

Satisfaction

satisfactionLiving in the Spirit
October 19, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 65

Praise is due to you,
   O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
   you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
   to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
   your holy temple. –Psalm 65:1-4

Is it in human nature to be satisfied ever? Are we not constantly searching for something better, something more? Think about the last time you truly felt satisfied. Was it holding your newborn baby as it nursed for the first time? Was it after a good meal with loved ones? Was it upon the positive completion of a major project? Was it when you finally crossed the finish line of a marathon? How do your moments of satisfaction correlate with your goals and desires in life? Is satisfaction a side dish on your table of life choices?

God apparently wants us to know satisfaction as a routine part of our life. Just as apparent is our need to work toward satisfaction. Our Psalmist today invites us to seek satisfaction through praising God. He then suggests that fulfilling vows is a route to satisfaction. I fear we relegate vows to history. About the only time, we hear the word vow today is regarding marriage. The Hebrew word interpreted vow* is a votive offering, service pledged to God in the presence of a light source like a candle. What vows have we made to God? To what ministries have we pledged our hearts? Are we fulfilling those vows to our satisfaction?

Prayer is another path toward satisfaction. Does discussion of problems and issues with God lead to peace, which is a part of satisfaction? Do we share our joys with God recognizing God’s presence in answered prayer?

Forgiveness empowers us to learn from our mistakes and return to our journey of faith with a new energy that is a source of satisfaction. As we enter God’s gates with praise and thanksgiving, satisfaction is always waiting for us.

Prayer: Lord, in our ever-hectic world, help us to see the moments of satisfaction you bring to our lives. They make us whole again. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5088.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

 

 

What Satisfies?

SatisfactionLent
February 22, 2016

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55:1-9

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
   and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
   and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
   listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
   my steadfast, sure love for David. –Isaiah 55:2-3

Good question: Why do we spend our money on things that do not satisfy? I do it all the time but not usually on things that other people disapprove, like smoking. I often hear criticism of poor people for wasting money on cigarettes. Some legislators routinely introduce bills to check welfare clients for drug use as an eligibility criterion even though studies show only a small fraction of persons on public assistance have ever tested positive for drug use. Besides the drug tests are very expensive. I recently replaced a broken indoor grill with one that was too small and was hard to clean. I got it very cheaply but did not think twice about buying the right size grill with removable fixtures that can readily be cleaned. I will donate the little grill to a good cause. Truth be told I probably did not need an indoor grill at all.

Grills and cigarettes are not the issue. The issue is searching for nurture and joy in things that cannot provide either. Eating is a necessity of life, and I enjoy good food as well as anyone, but in most instances the nurture from the food we eat comes as much from the love of people with whom we share it as it does from the vitamins and minerals in the food. I am sure the same could be said for sharing a drink or a cigarette.

Life satisfaction lies in our relationship with God and with sharing our love of God with one another. The rest is just the props that set the stage for our interaction. Keeping our priorities in order will help us lessen our dependence on that which does not satisfy.

Prayer:
Fill my cup, Lord;
I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole*. Amen.

*Chorus from Hymn Fill My Cup words by Richard Blanchard see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/ns/340

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Satisfied with Enough

EnoughChristmas
December 30, 2014

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
   and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
   and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
   and they shall never languish again.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
   and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
   I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
   and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
says the Lord. — Jeremiah 31:12-14

During our Christmas Eve service, I sat near the front of the church between dear friends and truly relished rejoicing in the coming of the Christ Child. It is a simple service of lessons and carols. Scriptures long written on our hearts with songs we know so well that everyone sings robustly, at least the first verse. This is perhaps a tiny taste of the joy when the Kingdom of God is fulfilled.

With the memory of the fulfillment I experienced at our Christmas Eve service in the background, I was struck by the last verse of our scripture today. We live in a culture that teaches us to never be satisfied. We are to be always a little hungry for more—more success, more wealth. Yet descriptions of God’s Kingdom seem to suggest that all are to experience the state of having enough.

What is enough? That is the tough question. Enough starts with being in right relationship with God—being whole, which is a life-long quest. As we grow in spirit and truth we shed layers of brokenness, but we accumulate new ones, which we then must also shed. A life centered on our relationship with God enables this quest. As we get closer to finding the meaning of wholeness for ourselves we are drawn into Christ divine plan to be in community with others where we share in a desire that all can be whole and all can have enough and be satisfied with it.

Prayer: Lord, reframe our purpose in life to find your meaning of enough and help us rejoice in the satisfaction that your enough brings. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.