Daily Devotional
Are Your Deepest Needs Satisfied?
“Then He said: ‘A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.” So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.’”
Luke 15:11-15
June 8, 2024
Ponder This
An inheritance is normally given when the father dies, but this son said, “I want it, and I want it now.” Essentially, he was saying to his father, “I wish you were dead. I don’t need you. I don’t want your love. I don’t want your fellowship. I don’t want your authority over me. I just want what you have. I don’t want you.” There are many people just like that today. They don’t want God, but they want what God has. They walk on God’s green earth. They breathe God’s fresh air. They live on the abundance that God has given, but they don’t want God. They want all these things from God, but they will never be satisfied until they have Him. The story of the prodigal son is a story of dissatisfaction. He was hungry. He didn’t have anything to satisfy his deepest longings.
You may be wearing a mask today. You may be laughing and going on your way, but deep in your heart, if you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ, there is a hunger for God. If you don’t know the Lord Jesus, there is a God-shaped vacuum in your heart. And so, what our Lord is talking about here is the weakness of man without God.
- What are some things you have that are valuable in the eyes of the world? How have you seen that those things ultimately cannot satisfy?
- Who is far from God but close to you? How can you invest in those relationships?
Practice This
Pray and consider what opportunities you have to minister to someone who needs to find satisfaction in God.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
