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Grace and leadership
Yours O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as Head over all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you reign over all. In your Hand is power and might; in your hand is to make great and to give strength to all. [1 Chronicles 29:10,11] This is the prayer of David as he acknowledged his thankful gratitude towards God. It is a prayer which has a profound theological foundation and truth which can be applied in the life of each and every child of God.
God is Head over all
He is exalted as head over all, and it is how God leads you as His grace takes you from where you are to where He wants you to be. And grace is the person of Jesus Christ, who Himself is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
He leads you in love and compassion
The Lord never forces you. He leads and does not drive you. He is the Good Shepherd who goes ahead, that His sheep may hear His voice and follow Him. And today when you are His sheep, He is walking with you, taking you to the place where you need to be.
Leads you to satisfaction in life
The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, Whose waters do not fail. [Isaiah 58:11]
The key phrase on which you need to focus is
God will satisfy your soul
The world around you is predominantly one that is characterized by dissatisfaction in many aspects. Even climatically right now it is a season of drought, for the rains have not been satisfactory. As it is outwardly, there are seasons in each person’s life when inwardly in the soul, there comes a dryness and emptiness, a feeling of drought that causes dissatisfaction. And God will satisfy your soul even in those dry patches of life. It is why the psalmist is able to say, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; [Psalms 23:4] Whether you realize it or not, God is always with you. He is the God who is Immanuel. He never leaves you, and He will satisfy you.
What is satisfaction ?
Your Christian walk is a pilgrimage, where it is not just about reaching the destination. When you are led by grace, the journey to it will also be one that is satisfying and fulfilling. Fulfillment is being full and filled. As the apostle says in the letter to the Ephesians, it is to be continually filled with the Spirit. And even as David declares ‘My cup overflows’, it signifies the condition of being fulfilled by having more than enough. But there is another aspect to God’s satisfaction. He can fulfill you and satisfy you, even when you do not have enough.
Satisfaction in your work
‘Monday blues’ can creep up in you when you find no pleasure in your work, and you are employed where you are only for the money that you gain from it to survive in life- ‘to feed your stomach’ so to say. But God can bring satisfaction in your work, by renewing your mind and birthing within you a right attitude towards it. And when you are able to see your job, as God helps you to see it, you will find joy in it. For you will know that whatever you have been called to do is in line with your gifting, and an opportunity to glorify God in and through it.
Fulfillment in your ministry
It is God who gives fruitfulness and fulfillment in your ministry. You do not have to cross oceans to find it. You do not have to promote yourself. Fruitfulness begins in you as you receive the seed, by investing in the word of God. The Lord teaches this truth through the parable of the sower, saying that understanding it remains crucial to understanding every other parable. And the truth of the parable is simple, though it may not be easy. The seed is the word and it has to go into the soil, which is your heart. Then your heart needs to guard it, and with perseverance, fruitfulness will come in your life and in your ministry. In the beginning was the word and the word brought everything else into being. So even if your life seems empty now, when the word begins to dwell in you richly, you will move towards a satisfying fulfillment.
Reward in your endeavors
In your endeavors, when there is no visible sign of reward immediately in the earthly realm, it can discourage you. But with the right spiritual perspective you will be able to shift your focus to the God of Heaven, who is going to reward you, and therefore you will rise up and build. You will know that your labor in Christ will never be in vain. The world often demands a reward ‘here and now’ but the Bible teaches that reward is ‘here and now’ and also ‘then and there’. Surely God can and will reward and satisfy you.
Satisfaction and enrichment in your relationships
As a human being, you have been created to receive and give love, to be in relationship with God and people around you. It is why ‘solitary confinement’ is a method of punishment used in prisons. Life may at times find you dissatisfied in your relationships, and you may long for loving comfort and counsel. You always have a friend you can turn to, for God says to you, ‘I will satisfy your soul’.
The reasons for dissatisfaction in life
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread. And your labor for that which does not satisfy ? [Isaiah 55:11] It is a call from God to come to Him and find satisfaction. He says there is no cost involved. Spending money to gain more and more possessions, thinking that it will keep you satisfied is like chasing a mirage, an illusion that can never happen. Only God can satisfy your soul.
Dissatisfaction due to wrong priorities
The prophet Haggai describes the condition of the people of Israel who were not satisfied and fulfilled though they had adequate provision. Now therefore says the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways. You have sown much and harvested little; You eat but you never have enough; You drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages, does so to put them into a bag with holes. [Haggai 1:5,6] The reason for this is mentioned subsequently to be wrong prioritization of what really matters in life. Lord Jesus is very clear about what needs to be your priority, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you’. [Matthew 6:33] The people of Israel were dissatisfied because they went after all the other material things first, instead of seeking God. The truth is that when you go after God first, what the rest of the world goes after will come after you. But if God is only an afterthought in your life, to be fitted in a convenient slot, you may possess what you pursue, but will still be dissatisfied. Satisfaction will come in you only when God is in His rightful place, as the very first.
Where is God in your life ?
The right prioritization that needs to be in you is
1. God
2. Spouse
3. Family
4. Work
In your pursuit of money and possessions you can so easily ignore the need for the presence of God in your life. But, more than money it is God whom you need. What money gives God can give, but what God gives, money can never give you. And in the last moments of your life on earth, what you will long for is the presence of God and your loved ones, and not your possessions, however valuable they may be. Your work, even if it is painful at times, when you see it in God’s perspective will be a pleasure and not a pressure to perform.
Dissatisfaction due to willful disobedience
He has told you O man what is good- and what does the Lord require of you. But to do justice, love mercy and to walk humbly with your God [Micah 6:8] are the words of the prophet, and ‘I have come to give life in all its fullness’ [John 10:10] says Lord Jesus. There is a God shaped vacuum in you and every other human being that only God can fill. The prophet Micah describes the condition of the people who had it all and were still feeling empty and dissatisfied – all because they chose to live in willful disobedience of the truth. It can happen when you ask God for counsel, but do not have the heart or the inclination to accept and obey what He says, because of your own limited understanding and because it is not to your liking. But on looking back from a position of parenthood you can now see why your parents behaved the way they did, disciplining you and denying some things that seemed attractive to you. Thus, these are the words of the Savior, If you then, who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him ! [Matthew 7:11] Even when it is seemingly not appealing to you, what God says to you is always only for your good. And emptiness will leave, to be replaced by satisfaction in your life, only when you hear from God, receive His word in your heart, to act upon it.
It is why God calls out to you – to come to Him and find satisfaction, even in the driest parts of your life. In life, two things can happen,
1. You can have money and possessions and still not be satisfied
2. Without having everything that you need materially or financially, you can yet be satisfied
The secret of having satisfaction in life
I have learnt the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:12,13] The apostle Paul here points out the fact that he has ‘learnt’ the secret of being content and satisfied in times of lack and plenty, hardship and comfort, in essence, being undisturbed by circumstances that prevail. He has learnt to approach his situation whatever it may be, in the right manner.
Approaching ‘through Christ’ is the secret
God wants you to change your vocabulary. You need not just manage your problem, or challenge that you face. You can approach it in the words of the apostle Paul, saying, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And it is the power of the word ‘through’ that is the secret. It is ‘through Christ’ that your impossibilities become possible. Faced with feeding the five thousand, with His own disciples doubting the wisdom of it all, the Lord lifted up His eyes, giving thanks to His Father, blessed the little that was available, to see the crowd satisfied, with plenty left over. The powerful truth that you can do all things through Christ is what satisfies you internally- satisfies your soul.
Needs met externally
I have received full payment and more; I am amply supplied.. [Philippians 4:17] Paul then goes on to declare that he is fully satisfied as he describes his external needs being met. He also reveals the key to the meeting of your needs.
Being ‘in Christ’ the key
And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches ‘in Christ Jesus’. [Philippians 4:19] The truth is simple but powerful. How can you be satisfied in life ? By being in Christ, and doing all things through Christ.
‘In Christ’ and ‘through Christ’
Since you are already in Christ, in relationship with Him, you can do ‘all’ things through Christ for the glory of God. You will be satisfied. And in Christ ‘all’ your needs are met. Even if you do not have it all as yet, the One who has it all is in you. Therefore you can be satisfied even now. It is why Lord Jesus commands you not to worry about tomorrow. The God who has taken care of you until now, will care for you till the end. He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not together with Him, freely and graciously give us all things ? [Romans 8:32] Satisfaction comes by being in Christ, and living your life through Christ. And you will be like a well watered garden, like a spring of river whose waters do not fail. May the prayer of Moses be yours, to see satisfaction becoming part and parcel of your life. Satisfy us with your grace every morning, O Lord, that we may rejoice and be glad all our lives. [Psalms 90:11]
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
