Today’s Truth

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10 NIV)

 

Friend to Friend

Yard sales. I’ve never really liked them. But when we were preparing to move from our home of twenty years, we decided it was the best way to clean out the clutter and make a little money.

We displayed our lovely attic décor on makeshift plywood tables and waited for the bargain babes to descend. Two hours before the advertised opening time, treasure hunters began congregating outside the closed garage doors. Then, the doors rose, and the swarm attacked.

Among the valuables from my past sat an electric, ceramic 12” Christmas tree with various colored lights…no doubt a gift from the eighties. One woman perused the lovely display and came upon this “magnificent work of art.”

“I’ve always wanted one of these!” she declared with excitement in her voice. “How much is it?”

“Three dollars,” my husband, Steve, answered.

“Humph,” she grunted and walked on.

Steve and I just looked at each other and stifled our laughter.

Let’s rewind the scene for a moment. This woman said she had always wanted a ceramic Christmas tree just like that one. (I’m not here to judge another person’s dreams. That’s just what she said.) Always. Her whole life. And here it was! For a mere $3, her dream could have come true! The search over! Most likely we would have sacrificed this masterpiece for $2, but she didn’t even ask. She just shrugged and walked away.

As I watched the woman walk away, I thought about the Pharisees in the Bible. For years they waited for the coming of the promised Messiah. Prayed about it. Preached about it. Prepared for it.

Then when Jesus showed up on that starry night in Bethlehem, they turned their backs and walked away. Humph,” they said with a shrug. “No thanks.”

But am I much different? Maybe not about yard sale treasures or Jesus, but other desires?

How many times do we long for a particular dream to come true in our lives? Search for it. Obsess over it. A husband. A child. A job. A home.

Then one day, there it is! It can be ours! The search is over. We say our “I do’s,” bring home the bundle of joy, log in our first eight hours, hang the last curtain.

But then, a little time passes. The husband is not as romantic as we had hoped, the kids are not as obedient as we had imagined, the job isn’t as rewarding as we had envisioned, and the house is a never-ending maze of maintenance.

“Humph,” we grumble. We thought we wanted something, and then when we got it, we decided we really didn’t want it after all.

Let me take it one step further. How many times do we long for love, joy, and peace in our lives? We search for it, long for it, and pray about it. Then someone points us to, not a ceramic Christmas tree, but the rugged cross and says, “There it is. It can be yours for the asking. It’s not even $3, $2 or $1. It’s free!”

Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full” (NIV). He’s what we’ve been looking for! Nothing satisfies the soul like what Jesus supplies for me.

There’s no Christmas gift, no relationship, no perfect celebration that is going to satisfy the soul in the long run. It’s only a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. Dear friend, God is holding out His Holy hand with the most magnificent gift of all time. Love, joy, and peace personified in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is what you have always been longing for, searching for, watching for. The joy you’ve wanted all your life.

 

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making all my dreams come true. You have given me everything I have ever longed for in the person of Jesus Christ. Please forgive me for turning my back on Your amazing Gift and trying to fill my longings with people and possessions. I know that nothing will ever satisfy my desire for peace, love, and joy except Jesus.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Now It’s Your Turn

Have you ever searched and searched for something, and then when you found it, you realized it wasn’t so great after all? Make a list. If you’re like me, it is probably long…if you’re honest. Click on comment and share three.
What do you think Jesus means in today’s truth by “life to the full?”

 

More from the Girlfriends

Do you long for something more in your relationship with God. The good news is that “something more” does not mean “doing more.” Learn how to experience God’s presence right smack dab in the middle of your busy day in Sharon’s book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More.

 

 

© 2022 by Sharon Jaynes. All rights reserved.

 

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10 Responses to “Just What You’ve Always Wanted”

  1. Sharon Parks says:

    I needed this today. Thank you. I’ve always searched for happiness from others and now am reminded that my joy and happiness comes from my Lord Jesus Christ who’s been there all along just waiting for me.

  2. Mardiece says:

    I used to think “life to the full” meant enjoying all that this world has to offer–family, good job, nice house, etc. But I’ve come to realize that the fullness of knowing Jesus and having a relationship with Him daily is what makes my life “full”. I am satisfied, content, full. I don’t need anything else!
    Bless you for this devotion!

  3. NickiM says:

    Sharon This really hit home for me. The 3 things I asked for but didnt want:
    1 My exhusband,He wasn’t who he made me believe he was.
    2 A job working for state of Delaware, which wasnt as great as everyone said it would.
    3 When I was pregnant I wanted a son but God gave me a daughter. which has been such a blessing to me. I believe God gives us what we want so that we can see it isnt all that its cracked up to be .

    • So true. When my dog was a puppy, she barked at me to get in the shower when I was in there. So I put her in there. Then she barked to get out of the shower! I felt God say…”Sound familiar?”

  4. shereen says:

    Thank You Sharon for your devotion. God has used your devotion to speak directly to me for so many years, May God bless you and your ministry.
    And, yes I have been trying to fill my longing with people and possessions.
    I’ve always searched for happiness in marriage, shopping, and buying a home, and then I realized it wasn’t so great.

    I know nothing will ever satisfy my desire for peace, love, and joy except Jesus. but I don’t know how to do that. for twenty years I have been walking with Jesus, fully devoted to Him, I spend hours in His presence yet I am not filled with His joy, He talks to me and he blessed me with great kids, an amazing husband, and a beautiful home, yet I am still struggling with having His Joy and His peace. I don’t know what is it that I am doing wrong! please help I don’t know

    • Sheree, have you read my book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Response to Your Ache for Something More? I think it might give you some direction. I have a letter from a woman in the beginning, and it sounds a lot like what you’re going through.

  5. Jeanette says:

    I know sometimes we get what we asked for, but it’s all about intentions. Why are we asking for something for our desires or to share the gospel and bring people to Christ or make the world a better place? With my wants, I have a neat opportunity to go out and work in the state of Colorado. God has afforded me the opportunity. I am going to do the work of Christ and make the best of it. It may not be a bed of roses, but God willing, I want to represent him to make my state a better place.

"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well…" 1 Thessalonians 2:8