A few days ago I got to spend some time with a friend who is a recovering drug addict. I was amazed and incredibly appreciative of his honesty with me. He said he had nothing to hide.
Curious as to how he had gotten to this point, I asked him how it started. He said it only took once. “The first time I tasted it, I knew I was hooked; I had to have more.” As soon as those drugs entered into his body he knew that he must have more.
The problem with these drugs however was that the high never lasted. He would always need more because the drugs never fully satisfied him. No matter how much he put in, there was always something missing and so he’d go back for more only to find the same result – lasting joy and satisfaction were still no where to be found.
As people, we are created as dependent creatures. From the beginning there was always something that we were to depend on, something that we needed to give us meaning, satisfaction and joy in life. That longing in life to find that something that will truly satisfy us and bring us joy is supposed to be there. And from Genesis 3:6 on, we’ve been looking for that ‘thing’. We’ve been setting our eyes on different things and going after them on our own, hoping that when we finally lay hold of ‘it’, we will find true meaning and satisfaction in life, hoping that next thing in life will finally bring us the joy we’ve been missing.
What that ‘thing’ happens to be that each of us is going after is different for each person. Whether it’s a new job, more money, a significant relationship, new things, greater status, another high, whatever it is, the reality is that none of those things will ever truly fulfill the desire in our heart for lasting joy and satisfaction. God asks, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” Isaiah 55:2
God is asking us, “Why are you spending so much money, and putting so much effort towards things that will NEVER SATISFY you?” We go after this, or after that and over and over again once we get it, we find that we are still lacking.
And so He offers us to come to Him and eat good food, rich food that will truly satisfy and delight our souls. The things of this world will never satisfy us; we will never find lasting joy in the elementary things this world has to offer. But rather true satisfaction and joy is found in God alone.
Jesus tells a story to illustrate this point.
He tells of a man walking in a field one day. He doesn’t say what this guy is doing, just walking. As he is walking, he trips on something buried in the ground. Curious, he starts to dig it up. As he’s digging, he starts to realize it’s a box of great value. Once unearthed, he opens the box to reveal a majestic treasure, of more value and worth than anything else he’d ever seen or heard of in his life.
Quickly he looks around to see if anyone else had seen him, or this treasure – no one had. So he buries it again and runs home. Once home, he starts selling everything he has, WITH JOY. He wasn’t begrudgingly selling his things, but with joy he was getting rid of all this old stuff in his life. His fancy clothes, house, horse and buggy, farming equipment – he sold everything in order to raise enough money to buy that plot of land.
Can you imagine that type of lifestyle change? He probably didn’t have the money to buy the things he used to, or to eat at the restaurants he used to eat at. He probably lost some friends and relationships during this time. The world around him watches him doing this and they’re saying, “You’re crazy. Who are you? Why are you doing this?”
And he looks them in their eyes, with tears of true joy and satisfaction rolling down his face, and he says, “I finally found something that is far more valuable than all this junk. With joy I will give up everything, because I found this Treasure that forever satisfies what I’ve been looking for.”
Jesus is the treasure! Jesus will forever satisfy you! Jesus will bring you fullness of joy that nothing else in this world can begin to offer.
Is your treasure in Jesus? Are you satisfied in Him alone? Fullness of joy awaits you, in Christ alone.
-that HE may increase
