Isaiah 55:1-2 (NIV): “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.”
Many Christians in America today are a distracted lot. They claim with their mouths that they want to belong 100% to God. They sing with their lips that they are surrendering everything to Him. But at the end of the day, their hearts are their own, and their focus is more on their “stuff” and their recreations and entertainments that on God.
Stuff, recreation, and entertainments are exactly what God had in mind when He wrote these words through Isaiah. People today, even those our society considers “poor,” spend a large percentage of their income (and their credit) on things that do not sustain them physically: television, movies, cell phones, the internet, coffee drinks, cars, clothes, shoes (some own more than they could ever wear), books, boats, recreational activities. And all of the stuff that they own takes even more time, more energy, more money, and more attention to maintain and protect.
A large amount of time, energy, and money spent today in American society today is spent on things that are not necessary for life. Indeed, these things of the world actually suck real life away from people! God is the true source of all that a person really needs. He is the source of the living water that satisfies the thirst of the soul far more effectively than soda pop, caffeine-laced coffee drinks, beer, or wine could ever do for the body, and with Him the soul will never thirst again. He is the bread of life that satisfies the hunger of the soul far better than the food served in fancy restaurants ever could, and the soul will never hunger any more. He gives work that is more satisfying and refreshing to the soul than any entertainments ever devised by man. He has put more vital information in His word than is available on the whole internet. He makes relationships between Himself and His people, and among His people themselves, that are deeper and richer and more satisfying than any Facebook “friends,” and these relationships will last for all eternity. In fellowship and time spent with Him in prayer and meditation, He provides refreshment to the body, mind, and soul, far deeper than that offered by any entertainment or recreation offered by the world. And He offers abundant opportunities for service far more exciting and thrilling than any amusement park, and the good feeling from it lasts forever, as does the fruit of it.
All of these soul-satisfying, spirit-enriching things are found only in relationship with God. But they will never be experienced by those who turn to the world and its pleasures to try to satisfy their souls. The world’s pleasures are short-lived and leave a person hungrier afterwards than they were before. True eternal satisfaction is found only in God.
Father, thank You that You have made a way for us to access all of You, all that truly satisfies our souls. Help us, Lord, to turn away from the things of this world, and to turn wholeheartedly to You, the only source of true satisfaction. Amen.