Seek and be Filled (Proverbs 21:21)

There are many things for a man to seek and fulfill himself, however, it is the things of God that are the most important for us to seek.

"He who earnestly seeks after and craves righteousness, mercy and loving-kindness will find life in addition to righteousness [uprightness and right standing with God] and also honor." Proverbs 21:21, Amplified

It is urged that we seek after the things of God. Not only do we need to seek but also seek but also crave the things of God. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NKJV) We are promised that if we do indeed crave the things of God, that those cravings will be satisfied. God is not like sin. He doesn't allow you to dine just to leave you empty, wanting more. We crave the things of the flesh in a desperate fashion, looking to fill some void within our hearts and souls. But sadly, that hole is never filled, so we binge on sin. The Lord, though, fills us up to the brim, and the cravings do return, but for different reasons. We crave the things of God because our heart and soul found sustenance and we desire that fulfillment again.

God is the only who can satisfy.

Satisfaction II (Proverbs 20:17)

Deception is a wonderful thing when one gets away with his deceit. But what happens when he is found out? Or is he truly satisfied when he receives his goods through deceit?

"Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterword his mouth will be filled with gravel." Proverbs 20:17, Amplified

This food can be anything gained by deceit. What he is doing is looking for fulfillment. As he basks in his prize, it is sweet for him. He has attained something that he desired without the means of hard work. But the thrill of it lasts for only so long. What the verse implies is that the satisfaction does wear off. He will need more to satisfy himself. The same can be said of any kind of sin. Sure, a little makes one feel good, but soon more and more debase things will be viewed by the sinner because the old satisfaction is not enough.

Satisfaction (Proverbs 13:25)

Satisfaction can come in so many different forms. One thing I like to define satisfaction as is "just enough". For myself, I tend to eat till I am full. New Year's Eve, I went to Carrow's and had a burger and fries, then went to a party where I continued to eat. At the party I had pigs in a blanket, taquitos, chicken tortilla soup, hot wings, chips, almonds and a few Diet Cokes. I was stuffed, and uncomfortably so. Satisfaction is getting just enough; not too much nor too little.

"The [uncompromisingly] righteous eats to his own satisfaction, but the stomach of the wicked shall want." Proverbs 113:25, Amplified

There are two different ways that this verse can be viewed. In a physical stand point it seems that the righteous man does not go hungry whereas the wicked man starves. However, in the Gospel of Luke we find the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus ended up in Abraham's Bosom whereas the rich man ended up on the other side of the gulf in Hades. In this life, Lazarus went hungry, and the rich man ate till he was full. In life today, we can see that this verse is not necessarily true in the physical sense. There are righteous people in the world today who are going hungry, and there are evil men whose pockets are lined with wealth and their stomachs are never empty.

So what does this verse mean? As a child of God, we have the ability to be satisfied in every aspect of our lives. Do not think of the word "eat", rather replace it with the phrase "experiences life". The righteous experiences life to his own satisfaction. As food is placed on the table, we say a blessing over it and eat enjoying the experience with the family. The meal is an experience to be shared and enjoyed with others. As we travel on vacation, a prayer is said over the travels we make and enjoy the trip with whomever we are with. The righteous man includes the Lord in everything that he does, therefore the experiences of his life are satisfying.

The wicked man has no one to share those experiences with because he is a selfish man. There may be times when he includes others in his debauchery, but in the end it will be about himself. In selfishness, there will never be enough. The wicked and the sinner do not understand satisfaction.

Giddiness (Proverbs 13:19)

When a task is set, a goal sits on the horizon. As that goal is met, a satisfied accomplishment fills the heart.

"Satisfied desire is sweet to a person; therefore it is hateful and exceedingly offensive to [self-confident] fools to give up evil [upon which they have set their hearts]." Proverbs 13:19, Amplified

The human heart needs to have a sense of accomplishment. I know for myself that the dream of becoming a teacher has set on my horizon for far too long. However, know it sits only three units out of my grasp. Every time I think about the fact that I am only one class away from my desire, I feel all giddy inside.

But for the fool, the same thing applies for him when we speak of evil. For him to depart from it is taking away his sweet desire. He gets the same feelings of accomplishment from his wrong doing that I am getting from reaching my own goal. It is hard for a person to understand the heart of one who does those bad things.

Tilling for Satisfaction (Proverbs 12:11)

The Lord blesses those who work for what they get. I am in no way saying that people who come from money are not blessed by the Lord. Having money or no money, the Lord still wants us to use our hands.

"He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits is lacking in sense and without understanding." Proverbs 12:11, Amplified

It is in the nature of man to do nothing. I would much rather not work. But I know my own heart would be consumed by a worthless pursuit. Does this mean that I am without sense? No. I have the sense and understanding enough to know that I must work and stay busy.

As of right now, I am not making a whole lot of money where I work. In fact it is about half the income that I am used to bringing home. I till my land by going to work everyday. In doing so, the Lord has blessed me with the ability to pay my bills, my mortgage, have food on my table for my family and clothes on our backs.

If I were to allow my heart to follow its own desires and lusts, I would lose everything. I pray the Lord give me the strength to make it through each day. His grace is enough for me.