Genesis 1:28–30
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Looking back on my life (Pastor Blake), I am reminded how truly blessed I am. I love my family. I love my friends. I love my work. I love my life! The one thing I think I am missing, however, is a good memory. I say this because I often forget how blessed I am. I forget how fortunate I am to have a godly, beautiful wife and five fantastic kids. I fail to remember how fortunate I am to have such amazing people in my life. I lose sight of the fact that I have a job that is deeply fulfilling. Maybe you’re like me and you too forget God’s blessing in your life.
Why is it that when we look at our lives, we see what we are missing instead of what we have? Our focus is so often drawn to what we are lacking, now and in the future, instead of seeing God’s provision right in front of our faces. Instead of being thankful for what we have, we lust after what we do not. One of our biggest problems as humans is that we are never satisfied. We always want more . . . more influence, more square footage, more money, more time, more health, more entertainment, more admirers, and the “mores” never stop. And it’s the lust for more that so often steals our joy and destroys relationships.
Adam and Eve learned how the longing for more can destroy. They had everything they could have ever wanted, having been the only two humans to ever experience a sinless world. They had each other. They had abundant food. They had authority over every living creature. They had an amazing relationship with their Creator. But it wasn’t enough. Instead of looking at all they had, they focused on what they did not. The cost of their lust was, and continues to be, absolutely catastrophic.
Rest assured that advertisers will be working overtime this Christmas season to ensure you are reminded of what is lacking in your life. Instead of buying into what they are selling, decide that this Christmas you will be satisfied in Christ and where He has you in life. So, how do we pursue satisfaction over dissatisfaction? We wake up each day thanking the Lord for the blessings in our lives and we spend each day cherishing those blessings through our words and actions.
Prayer
Lord, help me to find my satisfaction in Christ alone. I know that, like Adam and Eve, I can forget how blessed I am. Flood my mind with reminders of all the good things that You have placed in my life. Lord, help me to fight selfishness in my heart by thinking of tangible ways to express my gratitude for the blessings in my life.
Outreach
Located in each lobby are stacks of invite cards to our Christmas Eve candlelight service. Next time you’re at church grab a handful, if you haven’t already. This week we encourage you to give one of those cards to “Your One,” that unbeliever in your life that you’ve been praying for all year.
