Our Lord Jesus told us what really will satisfy our deepest hunger
and our deepest thirst. It isn’t more entertainment and it isn’t more
pleasure. Not that all entertainment is wrong or that all pleasures
are wrong. In fact, we are told by God’s Word that at “God’s right
hand are pleasures forever”. (Ps. 16:11)

We live in a culture, however, that has made entertainment and
pleasure the driving forces of life. People think that somehow if they can just get enough, they’ll be satisfied, but God knows that these things operate on a law of diminishing returns. God tells us in His Word that those who look to nice things, pleasurable experiences and various forms of entertainment to fill their souls will only end up “with a continual lust for more”. (Eph. 4:19) The things of this earth cannot truly satisfy our souls. We were created by God and for God. Only hungering and thirsting for Him and His righteousness can truly satisfy us.

People who don’t know Christ don’t realize this. Sadly, many who have
begun the spiritual life with the Lord Jesus, but who have allowed themselves to become deceived by the enemy of their souls also end up deeply dissatisfied.
The famous rock and roll icon, Mick Jagger, wrote honestly about his
experience after achieving great fame and fortune. He had almost everything he wanted at a moment, but he still declared, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”
What are you looking to in order to find satisfaction in your life? Even
family, friends, that special someone in your life, good achievements, and other good things cannot provide the satisfaction that you ultimately are looking for.

Only God’s righteousness can truly satisfy the hunger of the soul and
only God can work that righteousness in our lives. Paul states that clearly under the inspiration of God’s Spirit when he declares, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who
believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:16, 17)
Have you come to Jesus in truth, trusting in Him and turning from your
own ways? Have you truly sought His forgiveness and confessed Him as Lord
in truth? Being born of His Spirit is the crucial first step. If that has never really happened in your life, be sure that you begin there. Then be sure that you are walking in daily forgiveness, confessing your failures and sins to Him daily and that you seek to be filled by His Spirit moment by moment throughout each day.

The Spirit of righteousness, the Holy Spirit, can and will fill those who yield
themselves to the Father in truth and who ask Him to fill them. There is no other way to find satisfaction. Everything else satisfies at best for a short season and then comes the desire for more and more. Come to the Lord this morning. Seek His righteousness in spirit and in truth. He will meet you and fill you as you hunger and thirst for Him, yielding to Him in truth and seeking Him with all your heart.

Pastor Jack

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Don’t Lean on Your Understanding

The verse involves a positive–something you must do. But it also involves a negative–something you must not do. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Basically, the verse is telling us that we ought not to be self-reliant. We cannot pursue a course of action, a financial decision, a business move, a relationship, or an educational choice, simply based on our own understanding. It must be founded in our trust in God.

Self-reliance is such a deceptive trap. We begin to pride ourselves in something–our savvy, our looks, our intellect, our spirituality, our family, whatever. And when we do, it takes away our trust in the Lord. It has become trust in self. The result is a dangerous compromise that will lead to destruction.

Instead, Acknowledge God. In Everything.

The antidote to this self-reliance is found in the first command of the verse. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Which is developed in the next verse: “In all your ways acknowledge him.” The word “acknowledge” isn’t merely a polite tip of the hat to the Man Upstairs, or a few words of grace over your meal, or even perfunctory attendance at church to let Him know we’re still cool with what He’s doing. It’s way more. It’s allowing Him access, control, command, and involvement in all your ways.

What’s the result of this? Will God ruin your life? Will he be a Sovereign Killjoy? Will He rob you of fun? The verse ends on a promise. What is it?

He will make your paths straight.

The promise is put in the form of a metaphor. What does it mean to have straight paths? Several things. First, paths lead toward an end–a destination, a goal. Thus, trusting God wholeheartedly in every area of life gives your life a sense of purpose and priority. Second, it indicates that there will be a clear understanding of where you are going and what you are doing. It makes daily decision-making an easier and less painful task. You realize you are trusting Him. He, in turn, is making your paths straight. Thus, the way ahead is more apparent. Third, “straight paths” suggests moral purity. It suggests a life that has less of sinful compromise and more of wholesome attitudes, actions, and behavior.

That’s the kind of life that God promises. It’s the kind of life that you can have. It begins with trust. It involves acknowledging God in every way.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Let’s break down this life-changing truth to make sure we understand it.

Trust in the Lord.

It starts with trust. Any real relationship has to start with some level of trust. It’s the only way a friendship will endure. It’s the only way a marriage will work out. It’s the simple reason why an employer hires workers, or why the workers stay employed. It’s all about trust. Trust in the Lord, however, takes on an entirely new dimension. This is our trust in an eternal, all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving God. He is worthy of our trust. The trust is important, not just because of who God is, but because of the way in which we must trust him: with all your heart. It involves every fiber of your being. That’s the kind of trust we can have in God–a complete, unshakable, deep, abiding trust.

If you are a Christian, you trusted God for salvation. You can trust Him with the rest of your life, too–every detail.

Read part 2, Don’t Lean On Your Understanding

 Please join us this Sunday at 8:30am or 10:10am!

We’d love to connect with you! If you have any questions, please call us at (724) 437-6850 or e-mail us at ctallch@verizon.net.

Cherry Tree Alliance Church | 640 Cherry Tree Lane, Uniontown, PA 15401