Our Satisfaction: From where does it come?
Several times throughout the day, I stood before a group of strangers (students that I did not know yet). This was Day 1, a defining moment at the start of a new semester. These ‘strangers’ were unknown to me, for I could not even call them by name without the aid of my class roster. Nevertheless, there we were on the threshold of something brand new, of a season of learning, of trusting, and of understanding why the LORD had placed each one of us together for this new season.
This may have been the way Abram felt when the LORD spoke to him these words:
“And I will make you a great nation,
(Genesis 12: 2 NASB)
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;”
- Abram was from an unknown place, the town of UR.
- Abram and his wife were childless.
- Abram worked daily with his hands making tents.
- Abram was homeless, living in a tent as he moved from place-to-place, &
Yet the LORD made this promise—to Him.
As I stood there in front of my students sharing this promise from God, I felt all eyes looking at me, but even beyond that feeling, I felt their HOPE. Here we were at the beginning of a new semester, and for most, this was the first semester of their university experience. They were walking through their first week & their first day of their next four years. It was easy to see the trepidation, the uncertainty in their eyes. For some, they were thousands of miles from home, having traveled on several planes, trains, and vehicles and busses to reach this moment. Their families were sacrificing much for them, and these students knew the enormity of their sacrifice rested upon their shoulders. They were at the headwaters of something great, and this ‘great’ would be even ‘greater’ than they could even imagine because the LORD had a purpose for their lives. That was what I wished for them to understand through this first day devotion and from this verse in Genesis.
We oftentimes ask ourselves: Our Satisfaction: From where does it come?
Within the Word of God, we are provided the answer, from JESUS’ spoken word to His chosen ones.
“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink,
(The Gospel According to Luke 12: 29-32 NASB)
and do not keep worrying.
For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek;
but your Father knows that you need these things.
But seek His kingdom,
and these things will be added to you.
Do not be afraid, little flock,
for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
Our satisfaction is not tied to anything found in this world, on earth. That’s right. The LORD had spoken to Abram about the way HE would make Abram a father of nations, a great nation, a name to be remembered, and a blessing to generations to come. If we read more of that passage from Genesis, then we are reminded how God led Abram to step outside his tent and to look up toward the stars. Count them (if you can), but that’s impossible for there are too many.
- Consider for a moment the way the LORD’S PROMISE rang true.
- Ponder for a time how you and I are a product, an outcome, of GOD’S AMAZING GOODNESS.
The word of the LORD to Abram and the words of JESUS spoken to His disciples should remind us—
Our Satisfaction: Comes Only from Seeking after the LORD!
At the close of the devotion, I spoke these words to my students: “In this world, you may seek after goals you have set, degrees you have mastered, and careers that you hope to achieve. You may exercise to perform well in your sport, and you may eat the foods that will lead to good health, but
TRUE SATISFACTION CAN ONLY COME FROM OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.”
For my students, today marked the headwaters, the beginning of something great. It is my dearest hope that they not seek after material wealth or worldly success but instead
SEEK AFTER THEIR ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE
WHO LOVES THEM SO MUCH!
JESUS said—
“Do not be afraid, little flock,
(The Gospel According to Luke 12: 32 NASB)
for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”