Fulfillment is nourishment to the soul. You can try to get nourishment from a lot of different things in life but only God’s will brings satisfaction. The world tries to convince us everyday that we not be satisfied us unless we do this, get that, try something better but what does the world really know?
Just look at all the things us humans have consumed, bought, believed, tried, and now are useless or forgotten. Things are constantly changing, becoming unpractical, no longer in style, are worthless and lose value shortly after we buy them.
God's will however never changes and his will is perfect for our very soul. It brings us fulfillment that the world can not even understand or touch.
Jesus spoke of this right after talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. The disciples were trying to urge Jesus to eat but he smiled and said "No. I have food you don’t know about." Seeing his disciples were confused and fixated on the physical and not the spiritual of this matter, Jesus the awesome and merciful Lord he is, explained to his disciples what he meant.
John 4:34 Jesus says to his disciples "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. The harvesters are paid in good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One person plants and someone else harvests’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and you will gather the harvest."
Doing the will of God brings lasting fulfillment. It brings a type of nourishment and fruit that will be long lasting.
Jesus says in John 15. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine and you cannot be fruitful apart from me."
You cannot have joy or lasting fulfillment apart from Christ. You can not understand and mature in Christ and be fulfilled with lasting joy if you do not stay in the will of God.
Paul writes in Galatians 6:8 "Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit (of God) will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit."
Jesus tells us, ‘Yes I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I remain in them, will produce much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into pile to be burned. But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father."
A satisfied soul produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control which perfectly fits and lives in God's will and you are free from "internal" conflict. Galatians 5:22.
If you just follow your basic instincts and sinful desires you will produce evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sinful behaviors that lead to destruction. Paul writes anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
God wants us to live a fulfilling life but we are hard headed and stubborn and we just have to figure things out in the most difficult ways. You and I can not have a fulfilling life apart from God’s will and we can not accomplish anything fulfilling away from Christ. If you and I part from Christ our efforts will be worthless and will only bring us heartache and strife. But in accord and/or harmony to God’s will we do produce fulfilling results.
Jesus concludes with "I have loved you even as the Father as loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and I remain in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it- the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends if you obey me. I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn’t confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for using my name. I command you to love each other."
Yes to find lasting fulfillment we must give up our old lives that we cling to. Our old lives only continue to hinder our way to lasting fulfillment. Our old lives and old ways of thinking only makes us run from first to second base and sometimes not even that far. Wouldn’t you rather just hit home runs instead? Would you rather make that basket then have the ball stolen from you as you are heading up court? Wouldn’t you rather make it over all those hurtles then trip over each and every one and never make it to the finish line?
Our old lives not only never give us fulfillment- but put us in real danger of never knowing Christ and his power to save and enrich our lives beyond anything we knew possible.
If you are looking for fulfillment in everything else but in Christ then it is pretty obvious Christ has chosen you but you haven’t found him yet.
I like Psalms 1 "Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season with out fail. Their leaves never wither and in all they do, they prosper."
Find the will of God in Christ Jesus and fulfillment and joy will start maturing on those branches of yours.
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