35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
If we are hungry for purpose, longing for satisfaction, seeking meaning for our lives, we can look to the Lord. He has placed a desire for fellowship with Himself in our hearts; we are created so that we might come to know Him. And, as we enjoy communion with Him, we can also participate in community with His people. He will lead us and equip us for Kingdom work, so that we might share the love of Christ and serve others. The key to a fulfilled life is knowing Christ.
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We can discover and abide in a sense of meaning in the presence of Christ. Colossians chapter 2 says:
6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Verse 10 of the same chapter says that, "you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."
The consistent drumbeat telling us that culture is becoming more secular and that people are engaging less in religious practice continues, and you generally find stats that show that maybe one-fifth to one-fourth of Americans do not identify with any particular religions - those "nones," if you will.
There was an article that appeared on the Vox website recently about a survey with Morning Consult that attempted to explore what people are doing in order to fill a perceived void left by the lack of religious practice. The article stated:
Unfortunately, people surveyed did not center social activities around faith, and for most, their religious practice did not provide a sense of purpose. The exercise class was the most common source of social activities, with 15% of respondents; the highest-rated spiritually-related practice was a "mindfulness or meditation class," at 3%.
60% of those surveyed found purpose in family or friend relationships; only 23% found purpose in spiritual practices. The summary also relates:
A best-case scenario for finding that satisfaction is the communion with Christ and community with His people. He walks with us and will provide companionship with Himself and others. That is why the local church is so important - it gives us the participation and the relationships. We can serve and have the knowledge that we are involved in the work of God's Kingdom. In our search for meaning, we can find completeness in Christ.
The consistent drumbeat telling us that culture is becoming more secular and that people are engaging less in religious practice continues, and you generally find stats that show that maybe one-fifth to one-fourth of Americans do not identify with any particular religions - those "nones," if you will.
There was an article that appeared on the Vox website recently about a survey with Morning Consult that attempted to explore what people are doing in order to fill a perceived void left by the lack of religious practice. The article stated:
We asked people where they currently stand on religious or spiritual beliefs, and where they feel the strongest sense of community and purpose.
Their answers revealed that most Americans organize their communities and sense of identity around their family unit, though religious institutions followed closely behind. Our survey also revealed that work, hobbies, or political affiliation matter on average much less to people than their spiritual beliefs or family.The article says, "Friends and family were the top source of community for respondents, at 80 and 78 percent, respectively, but religion and spirituality were the next most common." Spirituality was next at 45, with religion at 43. 42% said the workplace was a source of community.
Unfortunately, people surveyed did not center social activities around faith, and for most, their religious practice did not provide a sense of purpose. The exercise class was the most common source of social activities, with 15% of respondents; the highest-rated spiritually-related practice was a "mindfulness or meditation class," at 3%.
60% of those surveyed found purpose in family or friend relationships; only 23% found purpose in spiritual practices. The summary also relates:
The vast majority — 77 percent — of people we surveyed they believe in a god or higher being. But how that belief takes form varied.If this survey is any indication, there are people, large number of them, who are looking for satisfaction in other ways than than participation in a spiritual relationship. And, while it is helpful to seek out good relationships with others, there may be those occasions where those relationships can be less-than-satisfactory, maybe even less than stable; the human connection is important, but a spiritual connection - and I would specifically say a relationship with Christ - can provide meaning for us.
At 56 percent, a slim majority of people considered themselves very or somewhat religious. But many more considered themselves “spiritual” — 70 percent of participants said they were very or somewhat spiritual. Of those surveyed, about a third were Christian, while 8 percent considered themselves atheist or agnostic and 19 percent identified as no religion in particular.
A best-case scenario for finding that satisfaction is the communion with Christ and community with His people. He walks with us and will provide companionship with Himself and others. That is why the local church is so important - it gives us the participation and the relationships. We can serve and have the knowledge that we are involved in the work of God's Kingdom. In our search for meaning, we can find completeness in Christ.
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