Have you ever felt a void in your life that prevents you from experiencing a constant state of inner joy and peace? Have you tried chasing different experiences to try and fill that void and found that none work?
And as part of your attempt to fill the void, do you find that you have a thirst to get more of something hoping that more is the answer, such as more house, more car, more pleasure, more adventure, and more money,.
If so, then more is knocking at your door. But don’t open it. You are wasting your time pursuing more and more.
Let’s look at just one example of a thirst for more. Let’s look at someone who loves money to the extent that they believe more money will fill the void and provide them with the constant state of inner peace and joy.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon tells us that trying to find a constant inner joy and peace from the things of this world, such as more and more money, is like chasing the wind. God’s Word tells us that we will not be satisfied with more money because we will always want more. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
The problem is that our desire for peace and joy involves a spiritual void, and we can’t fill a spiritual void with non-spiritual things. We need to draw our peace and joy from Jesus. Only Jesus can fill this spiritual void and provide the constant inner peace and joy we are seeking.
Granted, you may occasionally experience temporary peace without Jesus, but if you want a continuous inner peace with God, you need to do that through Jesus. (Romans 5:1) In fact, Jesus tells us, “…I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
Similarly, you may occasionally experience temporary joy without spending time with Jesus, but the temporary things of this world can not satisfy us at the deepest level. If you want to experience the fullness of joy, you need to spend daily time with Jesus. (Psalm 16:11). In fact, fullness of joy is a by-product of spending time with him.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, God’s Word is clear. Pursuing more of everything just creates a never-ending thirst for more. In order to enjoy a constant state of inner peace and joy, we need to have a personal, daily relationship with Jesus. And we can do that by reading God’s Word in order to get to know Jesus better and by praying, which in its simplest terms, is talking with him.
The book of Ecclesiastes has 12 chapters. I recommend that for the next 12 days, you read one chapter each day and ask yourself two questions.
What is the point of this chapter, and how can I apply it to my life.?