So Much More
Every culture throughout history has sought to worship 'something' higher than themselves. Even scientists debate whether or not we are biologically 'hard wired' to seek God. There's even a new scientific discipline called 'neurotheology'. 'Neurotheologians' argue that the structure and function of the human brain may predispose or enable us to believe in - and communicate with - God. Who knows what science may learn regarding how God designed us - but we do know what the Bible says, in Acts 17:26-27 (NIV)...
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. (27) God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
It was God's plan that we would seek a relationship with Him - that we would have a 'God hunger'. But have you ever heard someone say something like, 'I don't go to Church, I'm not a believer, but I am a spiritual person... or I'm searching for God.' But this 'search' is nothing new...
Hundreds of years ago, one philosopher wrote, "The reason we think people are seeking after God when they're not is that they are desperately and earnestly seeking for those things that only God can give them - happiness, meaning, freedom from guilt, peace - all of these benefits that accrue to those who put their faith in Christ. No, they're not seeking after God. They want the benefits of God without God."
And that's a problem... What are you seeking? What is your life all about? Some say it's all about work, or friends or family. Some say it's all about learning to follow your own personal dreams. Others say it's about self-sacrifice, responsibility and taking care of others. Who's right? And how do we know which 'hunger' to pursue?
Metaphorically speaking – is there a purpose in our life's 'hunger' or are we just feeding the hunger with whatever comes along? In this life, are we…
I. Pursuing purpose?
Are we just supposed to be good people and try to live good lives, or is there something more? Many people's lives move so fast. We have work responsibilities and house work and family obligations and it feels that we're always on our way to something else. It seems that the only time we really stop to ask the big questions of life is when we're forced to. A big change happens in our life, we get shaken out of our routine just long enough to look up and realize that time is very quickly passing by.
We hit those 'milestones' of life – completing school or education, getting married, a new job, having kids, losing a loved one, changing jobs, a major accident, a broken relationship, a serious health issue, retiring… - When we hit those 'speed bumps' we're forced to slow down and actually look where we're going. Many times, life just goes on, not much thought given to considering those things bigger than ourselves.
King Solomon shared this in Ecclesiastes 1:3-9 (NIV)...
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? (4) Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. (5) The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. (6) The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. (7) All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
(8) All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. (9) What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Is that all our life is? It seems that most people are looking for something. Some may know just what they're searching for… But many still feel empty even after they get what they were looking for. Others know they are looking for something, but just can't put their finger on exactly what that is. Whether people understand or acknowledge it, we all have a hunger for God. The problem for most is…
A. Understanding the hunger
Have you ever met anyone who'd neglected their hunger for God for so long that they then rejected Him when they were finally introduced to Him? Or have you known someone who's been filling their life with so much junk as a substitute for God that they no longer even recognize their hunger for Him?
The Psalmist had this hunger, but he understood exactly what it was and who it was for as we read in Psalms 42:1b-2 (NIV)...
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Many people may realize that they're driven by a hunger, but may be mistaken concerning from where that hunger comes.
There are some who are not even necessarily spiritual people who have figured out that 'things' do not satisfy. They've figured out that the more you get the more you want. There are people who are getting rid of many of their possessions to pursue a much simpler life. Many are even downsizing to 'tiny houses' – homes of only 100 to 400 square feet.
And we could all probably stand to evaluate how much 'stuff' we have and our relationship with 'things'. But while 'decluttering' may be a fine thing and make us feel a bit better, it's not THE answer. Fighting our 'hunger' for things is good – but it doesn't solve the 'hunger'.
A while back 20/20 did a show about happiness and how to find it. After all of their searching, they concluded that happiness wasn't related to possessions or financial circumstances or geography but they pointed to community. Those who had relationships with others were found to be the happiest despite all the other factors.
Again, there's some wisdom to that. God did intend for us to be in community, to have fellowship with one another. We are 'wired' to seek relationships; it's in our design. However, that still falls short - some confuse that hunger for others for the true purpose of our existence.
We don't have to look far to find people who go from person to person hoping to find that one who will make them feel complete. - Young people who mistake sex for love only to feel used and empty. - Adults who have multiple affairs and a string of failed marriages. We do have a hunger for relationships, but no human relationship can ever completely satisfy the hunger that is built into us.
Relationships with others can be great – but there's something higher. People, even with our very best intentions - we can't be completely there for each other forever. We need to recognize that hunger to be in community, but realize that ultimately that hunger is for…
B. A relationship with God
God didn't just create us and then abandon us. He wants us to know Him! That's why He came as 'God in the flesh' – in the person of Jesus! He did give us free will to accept Him or not, but we were created with a desire to seek Him out. Even remote isolated peoples have a desire to commune with God somehow even if they have never heard the Gospel message. They create idols or worship nature in order to try to fill their 'God hunger'.
In America, pretty much everyone has had some exposure to God's message and the Church. Many towns have multiple Church buildings. If people have this 'God hunger' and we have plenty of opportunities to hear the message, why are so many choosing to ignore God? Why aren't our Churches filled? This video may be part of the answer…
Some times, it's not so much that people are rejecting God – but Christians. When I first watched that video, I felt a little defensive. 'That's not me!', but I had to think about it… Have I ever been the reason somebody has kept their distance from God? That's kind of a big deal. There's a perception, real or imagined, that Christians talk a good talk about 'being loving', but don't really live that out.
And, sad to say, sometimes our actions, or inactions, reinforce that perception. Of course I've had the pleasure of knowing many wonderful, selfless, loving Christians. But over the years, I've also met people in the Church who can be petty, graceless, passive aggressive, mean spirited and judgmental. And sometimes I think those words may even describe me on my bad days.
The Church was established by God as a means of helping us grow in community closer to Him. The Church is supposed to be a place that helps each of us become more like Jesus. But there are people who wear the title Christian who aren't following Jesus. And it's because they may have confused…
II. Knowledge and knowing
It's one thing to know about God, it's another to really know God. Do we want to just know what God did as recorded in the Bible - or do we want to know Him, to know what He is doing now? And in the Church, are we more concerned with giving people facts about God rather than helping them have a real relationship with God? Don't get me wrong, we desperately need to learn things in God's Word – but there are Atheists who know the Bible backwards and forwards but still don't know God.
There are some people in churches across our nation who may know every book of the Bible and can quote scripture from memory, but the lives they live don't look a whole lot like the life of Jesus. They learned all about God, but never really met God.
You can't fill your hunger for a relationship with God with facts about God and the Bible. If you do, you still end up empty – and even worse, you potentially turn off others who are seeking to see God in your life. And people are looking. They're curious if following Jesus, if knowing God makes any real bit of difference in the way you live and treat others. People are curious, people are hungry for God, so perhaps the best way to put faith into action is to…
A. Share Jesus!
There's a reason you are here right now. Don't just let people make assumptions about your relationship with God – show them, tell them! You don't have to have all the answers – but help them find their true purpose in this life! God wants you to have a vibrant, fulfilling relationship with Him – but it will never happen if your only experience with Him is just sitting in a pew on a Sunday morning.
There are so many who think that fulfilling their weekly one hour obligation to God by 'going to Church' will fill their hunger, but yet their souls are still starving! God has so much more for us than just this! And part of it is helping you grow by sharing your faith. Those believers who feel like their relationship with God is stagnant; those who feel distant from God – many times it's because they haven't tried sharing Jesus with anyone else. And when your faith stops with you – if it becomes an end in itself – then yes, you will feel unfulfilled, unsatisfied. Genuine faith in God needs to be shared – otherwise it just becomes dead religion.
Those who know God understand that…
B. God wants to be known
God desires that we know Him and that we share Him with others. God's not hiding from anyone. He gave us His Word; He came down in the person of Jesus to live with His creation. We see Him in scripture showing His power in incredible ways. I mentioned earlier about isolated cultures who seek God even though they've never heard about Him. Why?
Romans 1:18-20 (NIV)
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, (19) since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. (20) For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
God's 'fingerprints' are all over creation. The Creator of the universe made a way to have a relationship with Him in the person of Jesus. He reached down because He knows we aren't able to reach up to Him. Even though we can't fully understand the depth of His love and grace, He desires that we have eternal life in His presence.
So What?
If all you ever do is come to a Church service, sit in a pew, sing a few songs about God, and listen to some guy go on and on about God – you're missing out. You're missing out on the adventure that God has for your life. Don't try to live your life just filling it with stuff and then trying to fit a bit of 'religion' in where you can. You weren't made for that! Only God can truly satisfy!
God wants you to have relationships with other Christians, to learn more about Him, to have a place of service for His Kingdom, to share the good news with others. But most of all, He wants you to know Him!
Psalms 73:25-26 (NIV)
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (26) My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Could someone look at that Psalm and think of you and your hunger for God?
If you feel that you're just "killing time" here on this earth, know that God has so much more for you! God didn't send His Son to die so that we could have an average life with occasional joy. God invites each of us to accept Jesus and the grace that He brings, and to be a part of the greatest story on earth! If your life feels a bit empty, seek God and His plans for you and only then will you experience real life as it was intended!