It seems to me that there are three primary things in life that make people feel good about themselves: wealth, good looks, and knowledge. With this trio a person can feel significant (because people will flock to you for good and bad reasons) and secure (because you think you have some semblance of control).
Since I don’t have big bucks and am unwilling to be touched by a plastic surgeon’s scalpel, I once pursued knowledge—the most attainable thing for me—to satisfy my yearning for significance and security.
But I was wrong. The prophet Isaiah points us to the only Person who can truly satisfy us and quench our thirst for significance. It’s not knowledge itself that truly matters, but knowing God (Isaiah 55:6).
God promises that those who come to Him “will find life,” and He “will make an everlasting covenant with [them]” (Isaiah 55:3). This “everlasting covenant” is God’s gifts of Himself and His love, realized in salvation through Jesus. We’re loved, accepted, and declared significant by God who created us.
Pastor and author Tim Keller observes: “As long as you think there is a pretty good chance that you will achieve some of your dreams, as long as you think you have a shot at success, you experience your inner emptiness as ‘drive’ and your anxiety as ‘hope.’ And so you can remain oblivious to the real depth of your thirst. Most of us tell ourselves that the reason we remain unfulfilled is that we simply haven’t been able to achieve our goals. And so we can live almost our entire lives without admitting to ourselves the depth of our spiritual thirst.”
Are you thirsty? Come to God—for His invitation extends to you too.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Nehemiah 8:1-18
More:
Read John 4:1-14 and consider what Jesus says about living water.
Next:
What does it mean to “come” to God? How has God provided our identity and significance in Jesus?
Gary Shultz on May 1, 2016 at 6:06 am
I’m surprised I’ve made it this far without any of the trio of success. The good thing is my creator loves beyond these things. I think God wants what you have inquired about, what does it mean to come to God? That’s where the “trio” of success really kills you. To come to God means His path, His way, and it means surrender. After we figure out we really didn’t have much anyway God can start the process of building worth into our person. Jesus has paid for us to have a spiritual life, alive in Him, because of Him. My personal worth has just been given a permanent promotion to a eternal, heavenly identity. If a person wants to live in the glory of the now, possessing real estate in the “trio” they will ignore the much greater investment. Thanks Poh Fang
gagirllive on May 1, 2016 at 7:44 am
Hi, Poh Fang. I noticed in the image that two are drinking the same thing (presumably because of the same type of cup), two are not drinking, and one is drinking something different altogether. True to life, I’d say. We all thirst for something—some of us don’t even realize it, and therefore, don’t ask for anything. Some of us try to drink what everyone else is drinking, or we try something completely different. The thing is that we all remain dehydrated apart from Christ, don’t we? I was like the woman at the well—I wanted that Living Water so that I could finally stop drawing from my own unsatisfying wells, trying to fill this leaky bucket of my heart. I lived like that for years as a young person—even as a Christian—because no one explained to me that I needed to “drink continuously” from the Living Water. Jesus does satisfy the thirst as long as we remain under the spikot. If not, we’re right back to guzzling down counterfeits…getting our bellies full of drink, but still thirsty because only Water will do. Now I know better—I know to live at the Well and drink continuously. I’m still tempted to drink elsewhere, and I even try it sometimes, but the acute thirst I feel sends me running back to the Living Water. How grateful I am for that! Thank you, Poh Fang, for this meaningful and inspiring post today. Grace and peace to everyone on our Lord’s Day!
samgaskill on May 1, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Amen Gagirl! I went back to that picture and took a closer look. Wonderful analogy. I love word pictures because they help me remember more than words alone. Ahh..yes we need to remain under the spigot that never is turned off!! Lord help us recognize quickly the stumbling blocks; the counterfeits that cause confusion and never satisfy. Poh Fang reminds us that we “tell ourselves that the reason we remain unfulfilled is that we simply haven’t been able to achieve our goals.” Lord, how often our goals and Your goals are not the same. No wonder we can remain thirsty despite continually drinking from the wrong well. Lord, thank-you for provided Your living water to those who thirst and ultimately are satisfied! Amen
jim spillane on May 1, 2016 at 3:04 pm
Poh Fang – if and when one finally comes to that point in their lives when they realize that what the world has to offer is not the definition of success, then God can begin to work something useful into their lives. He can continue to work out His plan for that particular person. As He is the potter and we are the clay, we are also reminded that a cracked and broken vessel can emit God’s light into the world, not one that’s sturdy and solid in its’ own way and held together by its’ own confidence and pride. Thanx for today’s devotional.