What's Missing?

'Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.' 1 Peter 1:18-21 (MSG)

What's missing? Have you ever asked this question before? What's missing in my soup? What's missing in my career? What's missing in my life? What if you get to the top of the career ladder to find what you were searching for was just another dead-end? Would you feel cheated? What if you spend your entire life and fortune trying to win the game and find out too late that what you were fighting for had nothing of real value in it? Would you feel betrayed? Would you be disgusted with yourself that you might have missed something important if it was pointed out to you that you were living an empty-headed life? Would you have looked for the meaning to it all sooner if someone had told you where to find it? Where do we find our meaning or purpose in life? What if the meaning of life was found in God? What if God was what you were looking for all along? What if He was that special ingredient to spice up your life? What if He was the answer to your question? What if He was what you were missing?

What is the meaning of life? Luckily, in these latter days, it has become public knowledge; God saves us and gives us a future. What if we climb the career ladder of success and reach the top and there is nothing there but blue skies? Best to let Him decide which mountain we are to climb. What if the trophies we are given for winning the game lose their luster and end up in a box in the attic? Best to let Him decide which games we are to play. What if the feelings of accomplishment for all the empty-headed things we do don't last long enough to sustain us and fade too quickly from our memories? Best to let Him decide what He would have us do. What if all the money we've earned along the way is spent and we end up in a financial crisis? Best to let Him decide how we should spend our money wisely. What if the titles we've been given along the way are all soon forgotten? Best to let Him clean us up and give us a new name in Him. God is God, and He works all things, even our lives, according to His purposes when we let Him and make Him Lord. He is the meaning of life.

We will never be good enough for what is required of us, but He is. We will never work hard enough to satisfy everything that we need, but He does. We will never be able to find the things that we are looking for that will fill the loneliness in our hearts, but He can. When we find God, we find what is missing. What is missing in our lives is a relationship with God. He is all that we need. In the journey, He is the reward. When we find Him we find favor. Favor is God's reward for obedience and for putting our trust in Him.

When our lives include Him then the rewards are in the journey. He gives us a future. He gives our life meaning. He shows us His extravagant mercy and grace every day through the resurrection of Jesus. He gives our life a purpose and a plan. He gives us a perfect inheritance that will never be diminished. His promises are true and His mighty power and right hand protects us. His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. His love is like an ocean and when we trust Him we learn to take the journey that He has planned for us and to even go out deeper. How deep is that Love? It cost Him everything. Don't miss it.