How to Find True Fulfillment in Jesus
Let me ask you a few questions: Do you have a real sense of fulfillment today? Would you say that you are truly happy with your life? Or are you finding that nothing really seems to bring you satisfaction or contentment? I know of a man that had a highly successful career, a gorgeous home, multiple cars, a lovely wife, two kids, and tons of extra money, but no matter how hard he worked, no matter how much he gained, he just couldn't escape the fact that something was seriously missing in his life. He had what has come to be known as "the good life" and he often tried to convince himself that he was sincerely happy. "How could life get any better? What else could I possibly want that I don't already have? Can it be that there is something I have missed?"
Yes indeed, he had missed something, and these struggles continued until he came to realize that he had the so-called "good life". but what he didn't have was an abundant life, and this is what Jesus came to give people. He said in John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life and that they might have it more abundantly." This quality of living that Christ offers brings a person true fulfillment and happiness, as well as a real purpose for life, all of which this man didn't have. And not only does Jesus promise to improve our life here in the present time, but He wants to do so much more than that! In John 10:28, Christ spoke these words: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone take them out of my Father's hand.
What a wonderful promise! But why does God want to give us such a great gift? Does the Lord really care that much about you and me? The answer is found in Isaiah 43:4 "You are precious in my sight. You have been honorable, and I have loved you." Also notice what God says in Jeremiah 31:3 "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, with loving kindness I have drawn you." The truth is that the Lord's never-ending love for the human race is far beyond our understanding. We can't even begin to comprehend how much He cares for the people of planet earth.
I've heard people say that God won't love someone unless they're doing their best to be as good as they can possibly be. Have you heard this before? But the Lord Jesus said that His Father "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends His rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:45. Here, we can see that the sun and rain represent the rich blessings that the Lord showers down upon people everywhere around the world. It's interesting that both raindrops and sunshine come from above, just as the gifts of God descend from His throne in heaven. God loves all of us, whether we realize it or not.
Now, it is true that the Lord hates sin, but the great news is that He loves sinners. If God hated all sinners and He only allowed absolutely perfect people into heaven, then we would all be doomed, because the Bible says in Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Not one of us can stand before the King of this universe and say, "Ok, you can let me into heaven now. I'm completely blameless; there's not one thing you can hold against me!" No, we could never even come close to saying something like this. But even after all the bad and evil things we have done, God still loves us with an everlasting love and He wants to forgive us of every sin.
It may be hard to understand, but this is the greatest truth of all time! 2 Peter 3:9 says that "the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God loves everybody, no matter what their past has been like, no matter how they are living their life presently, and He wants every single person to be saved. But just how did the Lord demonstrate this love? What did He do to make salvation available? Look at 1 John 4:9-10 "God showed how much He loved us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." The Lord allowed His Son Jesus to come down and die for our sins to prove to us that He cares about us in such a remarkable way. Never has there been a demonstration of love greater than the cross.
Isaiah 59:1-3 tells us that our sins have separated us from the Lord, but because He loves us so deeply, He was willing to see His only Son suffer and die in order to bridge that gap of separation that was between God and the human race. As Jesus hung upon that cross, bearing the sins of the entire world, He experienced that separation from His Father that comes from the darkness of sin (Matthew 27:45-46). Jesus took the punishment that we deserve so that we don't have to be punished (Isaiah 53:3-12).
But if our disobedience and sin hurt God this much, how could he possibly still love us? It's certainly not because we deserve this love or because we have earned it in any way. All that we have earned is the wages of sin. This is spoken of in Romans 6:23, which says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." In reality, we don't even deserve to be alive right now. It doesn't matter how hard we have tried to make up for it, the fact remains: We have all sinned. But the verse goes on to say that God has something tremendously better to offer: the gift of everlasting life! And this is all made possible because of what Jesus did for us through His death, burial, and resurrection.
The Lord realizes that our sins will lead to nothing but misery and death, and that is why He has chosen to take care of this debt that we ourselves could never pay. "For He understands how weak we are; He knows we are only dust." Psalm 103:14. Friends, don't ever think that you have gone too far or that God can't possibly forgive your past, because His grace always reaches lower than your worst mistakes and sins, regardless of what they may be. In John 1:29, Jesus is called "the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world." If He has the ability to take away the sins of an entire world, don't you think He can cleanse away any sin of yours?
Jesus didn't come to just save the so-called "good" people. He said in Matthew 9:13 "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Consider also what Romans 5:8 has to say: "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Jesus didn't die for perfect people, but He gave His life for sinners, and we all fit into this category. Christ spent most of His time on earth hanging out with thieves, prostitutes, and drunkards, not because He liked that kind of a lifestyle, but because He knew that they were the ones who most needed the abundant life that He had to offer. Jesus was often criticized for this, but He told His accusers, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." Luke 5:31
It is so vitally important that we understand the fact that all of us have been tainted by this sickness called sin. But fortunately, we have the only antidote available right at our fingertips. It is the blood of Jesus, the Great Physician. 1 John 1:7 explains that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." The Lord is willing and more than able to remove any guilt, any stain, any sin. Jesus has already paid for it all. There isn't anything that He can't take care of.
If we want real fulfillment, then we need to be right with God, and that means that we need to have our sins forgiven. The first step in being forgiven is to acknowledge and admit that you are in need of forgiveness. In order to be saved, you must first realize that you are lost. Jesus said in Luke 19:10 that He came "to seek and and to save that which is lost." He's already paid the penalty for your sins, now all you have to do is accept this free gift of eternal life.
Because of His great love, God has given every human being the freedom to choose for ourselves what decision we will make regarding our eternal destiny. Just as in the days of old, the Lord is still offering us two options: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendents may live" Deuteronomy 30:19. In Isaiah 1:18, He pleads with you, "Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
So we can see that God earnestly desires to save each one of us, but just how do we go about accepting this wonderful offer of salvation? Let's allow the Bible to answer: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:9. Romans 10:9-10 makes it very plain: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The answer is this: We can come directly to God in prayer, through His Son Jesus Christ, and ask Him to personally forgive us. In faith, we can claim these promises that God will cleanse us and give us eternal life, just as He raised up Jesus from the grave. It's really that simple!
Jesus wants to come into your heart today and give you the true fulfillment you've been searching for, but haven't yet found. He's waiting, but Christ won't force Himself in: you must invite Him first. He says in Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." So what are you waiting for? The Lord is ready to change your life and we pray that you will make up your mind today to go all the way with Jesus, because He is the only one that can bring you true happiness and fulfillment, both now and forever!