​Since I was about 12 my favorite Scripture passage has been Psalm 73. I love all the Psalms; the poetic and honest prayers and praises to God. Every since first reading it, Psalm 73 has been direction to which I have turned and a promise to which I have clung. And from this Psalm, I have learned much about finding fulfillment in Jesus.

Many of the Psalms were written by King David (the one of "David and Goliath" and "David and Bathsheba"). But Psalm 73 was actually written by a man named Asaph. 
 I'm not going to put the whole Psalm here; just highlight key verses. But I would encourage to read it in its entirety when you get the chance.

Psalm 73 begins with these words: "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart." (v. 1)

The word "good" that is used here comes from the Hebrew word towb. In this passage of Scripture, towb means "pleasant" or "delightful". God is described as one who brings pleasure and delight. 

Asaph says that God is pleasant and delightful to those who are pure in heart. Now, when it says "pure in heart", it doesn't mean those who are perfect, who never mess up or do anything wrong. It means those whose heart desires God. 

This first verse of Psalm 73 is a promise. If we had to earn God's goodness with our own, we would all fall horribly and miserably short. But when we desire God, He promises His goodness. And His goodness will make up for all our shortcomings.

I love how in this verse, Asaph says, "Surely God is good." To Asaph, God's goodness is a sure thing. He is completely confident in it. And we can also be assured of God's goodness to us.

It can often be difficult to live with this assurance. I mean, how often have I cut short or altogether skipped spending time with God in prayer or in His Word because there are other things I would rather be doing? How often have I looked to people or possessions to make me feel better when my spirits are low?

If I believe God really is pleasant and delightful to those who desire Him, wouldn't I want to spend time with Him? Wouldn't He be the One to whom I turn for delight when I am feeling down?

Asaph speaks of this in the next verses: "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." Psalm 73:2-3

Asaph just got done saying that God's goodness is a sure thing, but now he is saying he almost slipped from that assurance. His foothold, his confident standing on the promise of God, was almost lost. Why? Envy.

Have you ever envied someone? Have you ever thought, "If only I had ___________, like so-and-so." Have you ever compared yourself, your life, your accomplishments, your mistakes, your appearance, to that of someone else? I know I have. 

You may have heard the saying, "Comparison is the thief of joy." What a true statement that is. It would also be true to say, "Comparison, or envy, is the thief of peace, contentment, gratitude, even love." 

I think the easiest people to envy are others who love Jesus. We see people with godly qualities that we desire, and should desire, in our own lives. But if we are not careful, we can pull out our "spiritual scales" and begin weighing the "goods" and the "bads" of ourselves with those of others. How sick is it that Satan will take our noticing the good in others and the godly desire of wanting to grow more Christ-like, and twist it into such an ugly and disastrous thing as envy.
     
"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:26

In this verse "each other" refers to followers of Jesus. We are not to envy other believers.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."  
1 Corinthians 13:4

Envy is not born out of love, but selfishness. When we envy, we are being self-centered and do not have others' interests or God's will in mind.

"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 3:16

Envy is a sin, and a sign that something is "disordered", or not in line with God's character.

"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill."    Philippians 1:15
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We must be careful that our motives for doing good are also good. If we are serving God out of envy, we will never be satisfied, because envy is insatiable.
 
When we envy others, we are not walking with our feet on the path of God's goodness. And any other path is a slippery one indeed. Looking at our lives and others' lives through the eyes of envy takes our focus off Jesus and leaves us deceived. When we envy the good in other's lives, we often fail to see the troubles they may be facing and the responsibilities that come with their life. We also tend to ignore, or not even notice, the blessing in our own life and this leaves us ungrateful and discontent.

So what do we do when we find ourselves envying others? How do we stop the comparing and jealousy? Let's look at some other verses from Psalm 73:

"...it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God... I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." Psalm 73:16-17, 24-25

When we find ourselves troubled with envy, the sanctuary, or presence, of God is where we will find refuge. God's presence brings true perspective. We are promised in these verses that He will guide us. This guiding is not just leading us in what we do, but also guiding our thoughts and perception of things so they are in line with God's truth. And when we allow ourselves to be lead by the truth of God, we can see His glory in our lives and through our lives.

So I encourage you to each day this week to get alone with God. Close your bedroom door and lock it behind you, go for a walk, whatever works for you, so long as it is only you and Jesus. Be still before Him, bask in the wonder and glory of His creation. Praise Him and thank Him for creating you, for giving you life, for the blessings that come to mind. And listen to Him. Even if envy isn't an issue in your life, let God give any new perspective He may have for you. Let Him align your thoughts and feelings with His truth.

Now, I can't write about Psalm 73 without including some words on my absolute favorite Scripture verses. These have been the prayer of my heart ever since I first read them:

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:25-26

My flesh and heart certainly do fail. I make mistakes and do wrong, I get hurt feelings, my perspective gets skewed by my emotions. But choosing Jesus above all brings strength for all; for all situations and circumstances.

What would our lives be like if we were to live these verses out? If we were to desire Jesus more than anything else?  

"But as for me, it is good to be near You. I have mad the Sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell of all Your deeds." Psalm 73:29

Remember the definition of "good"? Pleasant. Delightful. When we desire Jesus, being near Him is all of this and more. That is a promise. He is our refuge during all life may throw at us. We choose to praise Him for all He has done, and share those blessings with others. 
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And as we find delight in Him, we desire Him more, and as we desire Him more, being in His presence is delightful, and as we find delight in Him... well, that is beautiful cycle in which to live.

p.s. This is the second post in the series Fulfillment in Jesus. If you enjoyed it and found it helpful, you may want to read the first post: The Empty Places

The post Desire and Delight first appeared on The Overflowing.
All Scriptures taken from the NIV, copyright 2011
Hebrew definitions and origins from The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong, copyright 2010

This is the first blog post for The Overflowing!

I had started a blog awhile back, but never went anywhere with it... I think I only wrote two posts and then it just sat there.

​But now, I have started The Overflowing to encourage women in their walk with God.

My own walk began 17 years ago when I was five. I have a deep desire to know Him more and more each day, and I long to help others know Him more. Because true life is only found in knowing Jesus.

​If you long to grow in Christ, to find your identity and purpose in Him, to walk in His truth and make a difference for His kingdom, then read on. I hope by sharing what God has taught me in my own life through His Word, I can be an encouragement and help to you.

The name "The Overflowing" speaks of calling and desire.
The calling and desire to become so full of Jesus, that one overflows and begins filling others. With this in mind, I thought it would be fitting to write my first blog posts about finding fulfillment in Jesus.

I looked up the definition of "fulfill", and here are some of the meanings I found:
1. to carry out, or bring to realization, as a prophecy or promise
2. to satisfy
4. to finish or complete
3. to develop the full potential
Some synonyms for "fulfill" are satisfy, perfect, please, accomplish and achieve. Some antonyms are abandon, forget, neglect, destroy and ignore.

To find fulfillment, something is needed that can carry out all promises, satisfy me, make me complete, and develop me to my full potential. Something is needed that won't neglect or abandon or forget me. That's a pretty tall order. Especially when the reality of life hits: the less-than-ideal situations and circumstances that are anything but satisfying; the raging emotions that are anything but perfect; the ignored feelings and forgotten promises; the mistakes and failings that just don't measure up; the dreams that seem impossible to accomplish.
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Is fulfillment really even possible? It is when it is found in Jesus.

Here are some promises from God's Word:

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full," Jesus says in John 10:10

"Praise the Lord, and forget not all His benefits... who satisfies your desires with good things..."   Psalm 103:1, 5

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."   Philippians 4:19

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."   Ephesians 1:3

So Jesus promises a full life. He promises to meet all needs and to bring purpose. Then why don't I always feel this satisfaction? Why do I at times feel discouraged and discontent? Why do I have times of feeling empty? 

I recently did a Bible study by Lysa TerKeurst titled What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. In this study there were a few pages written on "empty places". The content of these pages has stuck with me since first reading them, because I could really relate to what Lysa was saying:  
"I sometimes find myself getting caught up in my own weariness and grumbling over the empty places in my life. These are all the places that chip away at my contentment, that nag me into thinking I'm being cheated out of something somehow... There are things in my life, little and big, that fall short, don't meet my expectations, and cause grumpy feelings inside my heart. Do you sense these empty places in your life too?"

These "empty places" could also be called  "if only I hads". 
If only I had a better figure... 
If only I had a husband... 
If only I had more money..
If only I had more friends...
If only I had a different job...

When we think these thoughts, we choose to base our contentment and satisfaction on these things. We are hoping to somehow be fulfilled by filling all of the "if only I hads". These are the kind of thoughts Satan wants me thinking, because when I focus on the empty places, I am not focused on Jesus. 

It's okay, even good, to dream and set goals for your life, but when we base our identity and worth on whether or not these dreams are being achieved, we will be unsatisfied in life. Our contentment, joy and satisfaction will ebb and flow, not remain constant and steady. Each time something goes well, we are on cloud nine, but each time things fall short we, as Anne of Green Gables put it, are "in the depths of despair".  

One of my dreams is to be a wife and mom. I look forward to the day when this dream is a reality. But in the present, it can be so easy for me to base my identity on this desire. I can think, "I'm not married, so I must not be lovable." When I base my worth on the fact that I am not married, I end up feeling pretty lousy about myself, my situations and even the loved ones I do have. Unrealistic expectations come into my mind; like the idea that when I get married, everything will be perfect. I'll feel loved, beautiful, appreciated. Everything a girl wants!
And when I live with these expectations, with this as the basis for my worth, I end up living an "in-the-mean-time" kind of life. I'm not married, so in-the-mean-time, I do these things, but my life and purpose won't really begin until that "if only I had" is filled.
 
But I don't want to live that kind of life. I don't want my fulfillment to be based on the ever-changing situations of life or on my emotional ups and downs. I want it to be found in Jesus, the Rock, the One who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
And I can live that full life. Jesus has promised it. It is His will. Not just when those "if onlys" come about. Not just "in-the-mean-time". But right here, right now, and always, even in the midst of all the crazyness, all the busyness and all the emotions of life. And you can live this life, too.

So how do we live in this promise of a full life? What do we do about these empty places that leave us feeling, well, empty? How do we stop thinking the "if only I had" thoughts? 

Well, here is the advice Lysa gives in her book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God:
Replace each "if only I had" you find yourself thinking with a promise from Scripture.
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Instead of me saying, "If only I had a husband, I would feel loved", I say, "Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord!" (Romans 8:38-39)
I am loved by God. And no hard situation or emotional roller-coaster will change that. No boyfriend or husband, or lack of, will change that.  

Over the next few weeks, I will be writing more on finding fulfillment in Jesus. But for a start, begin replacing all your "if only I hads" with a Scripture. Write it on an index card, or in a journal, post it to your mirror. Whatever works for you.
Romans 12:2 tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Let God's truth renew your mind, change your thought pattern and bring encouragement. 
Need some help finding a Bible verse? You can go to biblegateway.com and search by words or phrases. Or, leave a comment telling me what type of verse you're looking for (one about peace, love, hope, etc.), and I will gladly find some for you! 
As we focus on Jesus' truth and promises, I think we'll find those empty places and "if only I hads" begin to disappear.

The post The Empty Places first appeared on The Overflowing.
​All Scriptures taken from the NIV, copyright 1984