Today's Devotional Thought
March 22, 2012 by Rachel Piferi
For God Alone
Wendy and I are currently researching and praying about the next Bible Study that we are going to lead with the ladies from our church. Because we will be attending Angela Thomas' Beautiful Life Conference in June, we have decided to do one of her studies. And I spent yesterday reading portions of several of her studies and reading more about Angela as a woman, as a wife, as a mother, and as a speaker and author.
Given her background and heartbreaking divorce story, Angela spends a lot of time writing and speaking to women of all ages on relationships and the importance of finding our value in God. In an article that I was reading, she discussed the importance of keeping our most intimate relationships in their place. She talks about how it is easy to elevate our husbands or our children or our closest friends to a higher status in our lives than they deserve. A status that is reserved for God alone.
As I was reading her thoughts on this, I ran across the following quote of hers that I have to share with you all today. She says:
"God has made us for Himself. The guy that you love is just a man. He may be your soul mate. He is possibly your best friend. He may be hunky and funny and surprising and strong, but he will never - not in a million years, even if he brings you flowers every day and keeps every promise ever written - be enough to fill your soul. Those deep places inside you were made for God."
As I read her quote, I thought of how many things we try to fill those deep places inside of us with. In fact, I could rephrase her quote many different ways.
For example...
"God has made us for Himself. That career that you love is just a job. It may be fulfilling. It may be possibly the reason you were put on this earth. It may be well paying and bring you accolades and make you feel important and useful. But it will never - not in a million years, even if you succeed beyond what anyone before you has and go places no one else has ever been?be enough to fill your soul. Those deep places inside you were made for God."
Or how about this...
"God has made us for Himself. Your children that you love are just people. They may be beautiful. They may be well behaved and the perfect combination of your husband and your talents and skills. They may make you proud. But they will never - not in a million years, even if they clean their rooms and get along with their siblings and make straight A's and love Jesus every day of their lives - be enough to fill your soul. Those deep places inside you were made for God."
As I look around at women from aged 13 to 100, I see so many of us trying to fill those deep places inside of us with many things aside from God. We seek love and security from boyfriends and careers. Husbands and friends. And while all of those things are wonderful things that the Lord has given us to enjoy and fulfill and journey life with, none of them were created to replace God. And none of them were created to fill our souls. Those deep places inside of you were made for God alone.
If you feel an emptiness in your soul, please know that God is the only one who can fill that to completion. You may have a life full of wonderful people and accomplishments, but please remember to keep them in their proper place and reserve your deepest soul cravings for the Lord.
December