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by Kevin Pauley
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. - 1 Corinthians 2:9
There once was a princess who married a very wealthy commoner. He loved his wife and wanted to please her. So he bought her a huge mansion filled with the most expensive furniture money could buy. He purchased an exquisite wardrobe with each dress having been hand-made by the most famous designers. There were servants for every imaginable need.
However, while she smiled when he presented her with yet another gift, she never seemed to be interested in those things for very long. She didn’t quite seem…impressed. Discouraged because she was unmoved by his efforts, he finally asked her what was wrong. Her response was that no matter what he gave her, she could expect even better from her father the king.
Your soul is the princess. Your soul was born to be in fellowship with God. That is what you were designed to be. No amount of material things will ever be able to satisfy your soul because it has heavenly tastes. You may have an excellent spouse, wonderful children, an adequate job, a sufficiently large house, all the furniture you need…but are you satisfied?
Do you look for satisfaction out of the next big ticket item? Do you wait for that next vacation to some glamorous place with anticipation? Do you remember the last vacation? How did you feel when it was over? Weren’t you exhausted? Weren’t you glad to be home? Didn’t it almost seem like you needed a vacation to recover from your vacation?
How about praise? Do you look to people to satisfy your longing for acceptance and love? Do you get upset when you are not sufficiently praised? Are you tempted to quit when people simply don’t appreciate you? Guess what – they never will. Think about it: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God in flesh, the only perfect human, the one who spent his entire life serving others, was crucified for his efforts.
Why did God, who is perfect and perfectly self-sufficient, create mankind? I believe that He wanted to share the bliss of the Trinity’s communion with us. Jesus told us that He wants us to be one with Him as He was one with the Father. He told us that He wants us to have abundant joy! God wants to share His bliss with us.
All worldly happiness is as ephemeral as the breath of a deer on a dark winter’s night. Happiness will disappear when its cause disappears. Joy, however, that deep inner satisfaction that can exist even in the darkest, bleakest night of human suffering, is forever. Why not develop a better taste in satisfaction? Give your soul what it longs for – heaven’s bliss – communion with the King.
Kevin Pauley is a pastor and writer. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Lynn, their five children and two dogs. His internet address is Berea.
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