What do you need in your life?
Answer with one word.
Not a physical need.
What are you looking for, searching for, wishing for?
What one word describes what you need in your life?
Got your word? Great!
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The top answers to this question are: love, joy, peace
1) Love
2) Happiness
3) Peace
Love - I just want to feel loved. You know, a lot of people have never experienced the love of a mother. That mother’s love is something special, isn’t it? Many don’t have a father in their lives. Did you know the love and protection and provision of a father is an earthly picture of the Heavenly Father? If you don’t have that good daddy you might have a harder time understanding the love of God. Many don’t feel loved by their husband or wife. Maybe their spouses just doesn’t express love well. Maybe they just have different love languages. I just want to feel loved.
Happiness - Maybe you haven’t felt happy in a long time. You know, life beats us ALL down. We’re trying to live the American dream. But every time we get one step closer, something happens that sets us two steps back. And the dream seems farther away than it’s ever been. If I could just feel happy..
Peace - These times are so uncertain. We don’t know what’s going to happen next with our government. Prices keep going up. Death is all around us. It’s touched everyone. We’ve all lost family, church family, friends, co-workers. We don’t know if we’ll have a job tomorrow. We don’t know if Dollar General is going to get a truck in this week! We’re worried and afraid about the future.
And in our everyday life? We’re all so overwhelmed. We have too much to do, to get it done in the hour of a day. Some of us are working, taking care of our own household, helping with grandkids, and all of the sudden we’re caregivers for our parents. Too much to do in a day. Then same thing happens the next day but we’re also trying to catch up on all the stuff we didn’t get done yesterday and the day before. We feel like everything is out of our control. We’re worried about the things we need to do, we’re afraid we’ll never catch up. If we could just have a minute of peace, we’d be okay.
And I’m gonna tell you, my word, the thing I need, is peace.
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So where can we find these things that we need? How can we get them?
Well I’ve got the answer for us.
The things we truly need can only come from a close relationship with God.
There’s a saying that everyone has an empty space inside of them, a God-shaped void. We’re trying to fill it by ourselves, and we just can’t do it.
We try to fill that emptiness with STUFF. Or if we can’t get the stuff we want, we think, If only I HAD… THE STUFF.
Had what? A new phone, a new car, a boat, a bigger house, a better job. You might even be thinking… a better wife, or if only my husband was _________. If I asked you to think of the one physical thing that you need, you wouldn’t have to think. It’s right there… on your mind all the time.
But when we get those things, they put a bandaid on the hole in our soul. It distracts us for a week, a month. But then we realize, we still have that emptiness inside of us. We still feel unsatisfied. So we set our sites on the next new thing!
But you know?…. It’s not uncommon to hear that someone who is rich and famous has committed suicide. And everyone is like, “WHAT!!!??? They had EVERYthing!” A person can have everything that money can buy, go everywhere on the earth and can experience every pleasure this world has to offer but that empty place is is still there.
King Solomon even wrote about that. It’s recorded in the Bible in the book of Ecclesiastes.
While we’re saying, “Well, if I just had this other thing, I would be happy.” that rich guy comes to a point where he has bought EVERYTHING. He has LAVISHED himself with EVERY luxury and EVERY pleasure. There is no other thing that he can try to fill that void, to satisfy that longing in his inner self, in his soul. And he says, “I’ve tried everything that I thought would make me happy, and I still feel empty. What’s the point in living?”
The Bible says, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…. (Galatians 5:22)
What does that even mean? It means love, joy and peace grow in our lives when the Holy Spirit fills that God-shaped emptiness. If God’s spirit is in you, it fills that emptiness, because love and joy and peace grow in that empty place inside of you, and they will overflow into your everyday life.
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At the Lord’s Supper, the final supper with His disciples, Jesus talked to them about these three things we need: love, joy and peace. He knew that’s what they would need and that’s what we need. His words are for us too.
Jesus said, The Father will give you another Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of truth. He will remain with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17,26)
Peace
I leave My Peace with you, I give it to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, don’t be afraid. (John 14:27)
Love
Jesus said: I have loved you. If you keep My commands you will remain in My love. John 15:10
Paul said, …the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5
Joy
Jesus said, My joy will remain in you, that your joy may be full/complete. John 15:11
Worry and fear are specifically the two things that take away our peace.
The peace of God, which is beyond our understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
4) Maybe Hope was your answer, the one thing you need.
We are living in a time where you might be feeling helpless and hopeless.
The apostle Paul wrote to the early church in Rome, The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you overflow with hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
The apostle Peter wrote, Always be ready to give an answer to any man who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 1 Peter 3:15
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How do we get the Holy Spirit?
God has sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 1:22
Have you ever paid earnest money on a car or a house? You’ve made a deal. Earnest money is a token that gives assurance that you will follow through with your promise to keep your part of the deal.
The Holy Spirit is our earnest from God. The Holy Spirit is our assurance that God is going to keep his end of the bargain. He is going to follow through with all His promises, including the promise of eternal life in Heaven.
How do I get this earnest? This Holy Spirit?
You enter into a transaction with God.
What’s your part of the deal?
— You believe in your heart that Jesus paid for your wrongs with his life and that God has raised him from the grave.
— You confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.
And what’s God’s part of the deal? (Romans 10:9 and 2 Corinthians 1:22)
When Jesus takes your sin, He gives you his righteousness. That’s a good deal, ain’t it?
When you confess Jesus is Lord, you get the promise that Heaven is your home;
and you get the earnest of the Holy Spirit, who will comfort and guide you until you go home to Heaven.
In believing you receive righteousness; and with confession you are saved. Romans 10:10
Saved from what? Saved from separation from God forever in a place of torment.
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Come into a close relationship with The Lord today!
He is the only One who can fill that empty place within you!
He is the only One who can satisfy your soul!
