In Search of Wholeness

Photo by Nicole; copyright © 2012 Teen Diaries

John 4:7-30

Take an honest look at your life. Do you feel whole and complete, or is there the sense that something's missing? If you're aware of an emptiness, what are you using to try and fill that void? Is it relationships with family, friends, or a significant other? Or have you opted for fame, popularity or other achievements, hoping they will bring a sense of significance? Maybe you're using drugs, alcohol abuse, or some other  lustful activity to numb the void or to bring temporary comfort.

Jesus met a woman with just such an empty place in her soul. She was longing for love but had been repeatedly rejected. In those days, a man could divorce his wife simply because she displeased him in some shape form or fashion. The Samaritan woman had gone through this rejection five times and was now seeking to fill up her soul with a man who wasn't her husband- perhaps you may be able to relate.

She probably tried to cover up her emptiness so those around her wouldn't see her hurt, but when Jesus met her at the well and told her all that she had done, her days of hiding were over. She had finally found the only One who could bring wholeness to her life. Before YOU can fill the emptiness in YOUR soul, YOU, too, must let Christ's piercing gaze penetrate into the depths of your heart and reveal the root cause of your incompleteness.

We were created for God. ALL other pursuits are inadequate substitutes and will never bring the lasting satisfaction we are seeking. The devil has a way of pressuring us with Life and beating us down with the choices and pressures of that life. The constant strains and beatings, leave many of us empty and disillusioned. However, when we allow Christ unrestricted access to our hearts, He fills us up with His unfailing love and reaffirms our wholeness in Him!

Sanctified and Special

Photo by Shane Tarpley; Fire 12:29 Student Ministries

2 Timothy 2:20-12

Do you feel special, or does a sense of insignificance hang over you like a cloud? Maybe it seems as if God has wonderful plans for some Christians and is effectively using them in amazing ways, but you're just an ordinary person living a mundane life. And you wonder, Why would He be interested in me?

The good news is that everyone is special in the Lord's eyes, and He has an awesome plan for each one of us. When we accept Christ as our Savior, He sets us apart for a very sacred purpose. We now belong to Him, and that means we're not here on this earth to live as we please. As God's children, we exist to bring glory and honor  to Him by becoming more and more like His Son in our character, conduct, and conversation. It's not a matter of following a list of rules, but of letting Christ live His life through us.

The Bible calls this sanctification. It is a process whereby the Lord continually changes His followers through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. I'm not saying that we'll become sinless, but the more we yield to the Spirit's leadership, the more we will find ourselves victorious over sin. As our old attitudes and habits are replaced with godly ones, we'll become useful servants in the household of God. 

Being special to the Lord has nothing to do with what kind of work you do or how intelligent or successful you are, It's based on whose you are. But are you living as if you belong to God? The wonderful plan He has for your life can be fully realized only when you walk in obedience to Him.