Is Jesus enough to satisfy your every need and longing? It may seem like a silly question to those of us who are followers of Christ because we have been taught and conditioned to instinctively respond to such a question with a resounding, “Yes, of course!” But in the darkest moments of your life, at the times when you are feeling most selfish, abandoned or mistreated – is Jesus enough to fulfill your every wish and desire?
When we are tempted to live for ourselves instead of Jesus (that’s just a really nice way of simply saying “sin”), our emotions run high and attempt to convince us why we deserve something or how it’s really not that bad. I think rationalization is the enemy of sufficiency. We have everything we need in the person of Jesus Christ; He is sufficient in every way. Yet our selfishness and self-aggrandizement compel us to consider the reasons why we need “just a little more”. From new cars to better jobs, from new houses to different spouses, we constantly reason why something different or new will make our lives better. Along the way, we forget that it is God Himself who has blessed us with all that we have. We ignore the fact that even if we lost it all, we would still have Jesus. So I repeat the question: is Jesus enough? Is He alone sufficient to satisfy all your desires in life?
As soon as we start dreaming of greener grass on “the other side”, we submit that Jesus is not enough to satisfy us. When we become discouraged or depressed we turn to almost anything other than Jesus to try and lift ourselves out of the funk. Some turn to food, some to alcohol, and some to promiscuity or other inappropriate behaviors. Still others turn to television, the internet or video games. The activities may differ, but the goal is always to find some way to fill the gnawing emptiness inside. Why is it that we turn to everything except the One we know is the only way to true satisfaction? The key to surviving such episodes is to recognize their source. It is Satan who cleverly insinuates that we need more, we deserve better, that we are missing out on something. At this point we have the choice of either listening to his lies or holding fast to the truth that Jesus alone can satisfy what is missing in our lives.
When we get our worth from material things, the opinions of others or earthly conquests, we will never be satisfied. On the other hand, when we understand that our true worth comes only from our identity in Christ, we will be on the road to recovering from our selfish desires and feelings of dissatisfaction with life. The moment we are tempted to desire something outside the life of Christ, we need to ask ourselves if Jesus is enough to satisfy. If He is (and I strongly purport this to be true), then we need to take our eyes off of the lies of Satan and return them to the beautiful and magnificent glory of Christ. True happiness is found in the recognition that Jesus is truly satisfying in every way. He can fill our emptiness with His love, soothe our fears with His mercy, and dry our tears with His grace. Jesus is enough, He is sufficient, and He alone can satisfy.