Spiritual Focus & True Satisfaction in Life
-Introduction
-I have never meant an individual who said, “I don’t want to be happy in life. No,
I’d rather live quite miserably.”
-The way some people live and act, it sometimes makes you wonder though, doesn’t it?
-People want to be genuinely happy and satisfied in life. Unfortunately, though, it seems
that many aren’t.
-We could probably come up with a lengthy list as to why many aren’t.
-Rom 8:1-8
-The best way to be genuinely happy and satisfied with life is to be spiritually minded.
-When one is spiritually minded, he values that which is truly valuable.
-The spiritually minded person is then content in regards to other matters.
-Phil 4:10-11
-Often times, we’ll find that it’s the simple things that mean the most. It’s the simple
things that bring the most satisfaction, enjoyment and fulfillment to life.
-Unfortunately, it’s the simple things that are too often neglected and cast aside.
-It’s A Wonderful Life
-When the Christmas season comes each year, there are several movies that I like to
watch - Miracle on 34th St., Christmas Story (The “You’ll shoot your eye out” movie);
now The Polar Express, and my all-time favorite, It’s a Wonderful Life.
-There are a number of reasons why It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite movie. In general
I’m a Jimmy Stewart fan. It’s a creative movie. But, most of all, I like it because of the
lessons it teaches - lessons similar to what I’m talking about in this lesson.
-George Bailey was a man of high ambition. He wanted to “escape” his hometown and
attain his lofty goals - college, traveling the world, engineering great projects, etc.
-Yet, he continually put others first. He sought after their well-being before his own.
-His opportunities faded away one at a time as he faced the challenges that life brought.
-When everything seemed to be crashing in on him, he reached the conclusion that
everything would have been better had he never been born (similar to Job’s thoughts).
-In the movie, he is then given the opportunity to see what the lives of those around him
would have been like if he had never been born.
-He realized that he had made a significant impact on the lives of those around him.
-He realized that “It’s a Wonderful Life” after all.
-His friends rallied to help him and at the close of the movie, George’s younger brother
refers to him as “the richest man in town.”
-Here’s the reason I bring this up: I think we need to be reminded from time to time that
true wealth is not brought about by money and material things. True wealth is brought
about by those things that all too often are left neglected - family, friendships, good
character (honesty, integrity, hard work). Ultimately, true wealth comes from a spiritually-
focused life.
-If one has a relationship with the heavenly Father, that one is a wealthy individual.
-If one does not have a relationship with the Father, regardless of what that person has
accumulated in terms of worldly goods, that person is bankrupt.
-All too often, people forfeit the true treasure in pursuit of worldly treasures.
-2 Tim 4:10 - sad account of Demas
-Don’t Neglect the “Simple Things”
-Of course, the book of Ecclesiastes would fit well into this discussion.
-Solomon wanted us to learn from his experiences - from his mistakes.
-His conclusion to the whole matter: Eccl 12:13.
-We can and should learn from the experiences of others:
-Titus 2 - In this chapter we find the concept of the older (more experienced) teaching
the younger (less experienced).
-Prov 1:7-8, 12:15; 19:20
-With this in mind, consider this: Have you ever heard a person who was late in life say
any of the following: “I wish I would have worked more. I wish I would have placed more
emphasis on money and other material things. I wish I would have spent less time with my
kids - less time with my spouse. I wish I would have spent more time away from home...”
-All too often, people have regrets regarding the “simple things” that they neglected.
-We need to be careful not to neglect those “simple things.”
-A spiritually-minded person is reminded of what is truly most valuable - and then values
those things - often times, the “simple things.”
-The spiritually-minded person doesn’t become distracted by the pursuit of worldly,
material things.
-Luke 12:16-21
-What was the point that Jesus was making with this parable? - Luke 12:15
-I’ve never seen a U-Haul following a hearse.
-Judgment Day
-2 Pet 3:10-11
-I guarantee you that there will be nobody at the Day of Judgment saying any of the
following: “I wish I would have read my Bible less. I spent way too much time studying
my Bible. I wish I would have attended fewer worship services and Bible classes. I should
have been less involved with the work of the church. I wish I would have told fewer people
about the Gospel.”
-Let’s be sure that we understand this now, not just on the Day of Judgment.
-Summary and Invitation
-What’s my point: I simply cannot over-emphasize the importance of having a spiritual
focus in life and truly gaining enjoyment and satisfaction in the little things.
-example of Delevan’s wooden train set
-Again, I think about the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. George Bailey’s brother refers to
George as the “richest man in town.” It wasn’t because of money.
-Rom 11:33, Eph 3:8, Matt 6:21 - Place your treasures in heaven and enjoy the true blessing
and qualities of life here along your way (1 Tim 4:8).
-What about you? Are you spiritually minded? Are you seeking those things that are most
important? That begins with obedience to the Gospel - believe (Jn 3:16, 8:24), confess
(Matt 10:32, Rom 10:9-10), repent (Lk 13:3,5; Acts 17:30), be baptized (Acts 2:38, Mk
16:16).
-If you’ve obeyed the Gospel but haven’t maintained your faithfulness, confess your
shortcomings, repent of them and pray for forgiveness (1 Jn 1:7-9, Acts 8:22-24).