Our Desire to be Filled

Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled,  the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. Lk 14:21-23


The man, in a rage, commanded the servants to go find people, people of any sort to fill his house. He originally invited people who he wanted to come, to fill his home. Those people rejected him, they declined his invitation. Therefore, he was angry, he was hurt, he was rejected and lonely, and desperately desired to fill his home. Therefore, he sends servants out to find people to fill his home. 

We desperately desire to be filled. Day in and day out we are searching and trying to fill ourselves up, turning anywhere but to God - yet does it not say in scripture "come to me and I will give you life."

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jn 4:13-14

I'm currently reading a book called captivating and it talks about women hiding, in these places we hide, we are searching. We are searching for God, we are searching for answers, we are searching for fulfillment. 

I know I turn to many places to try and be fulfilled: social media, friends, ministry, work, school, exercise. Some people turn to drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex, food, endless dating relationships, etc. But when we turn to these things, when we fill our lives with them it is because we are desperately trying to find fulfillment. We are trying to satisfy the craving we have to love and be loved in return. 

My dear friends, the man in the gospel today desperately wanted his house to be full, and just as he wanted to be full, so do we. I encourage all of us to turn to Christ in our desire to be fulfilled. Seek him in your day to day life. When you see yourself checking social media, eating food, desiring a drink, longing for your phone to buzz, reaching out to others, first ask yourself - am I doing this because I am desiring Jesus? Am I trying to fulfill my desire for time with Jesus, something infinite with something finite?
Make Jesus a part of your life. Look for him in your day. Ask yourself: how is Jesus showing me he loves me today?
Jesus, I desperately desire to be filled by you. Fill me up, and further reveal to me the depth of your love for me. May I always seek you first, help me to seek you when I feel lonely, when I long to be satisfied and fulfilled. 


Where are you seeking to satisfy your desire to be full?