Are you yearning for something? Do you want more? Is there a void within you or a longing that is not satisfied? The world boasts its fulfillment through social media, television, latest trends, fashions, drugs, alcohol, sex, and money to name just a few. We work long hours, fill our schedules with events, over extend our budgets, and indulge in foods to satisfy yet still we are left unfulfilled. With not enough and the need for more we strive, often time striving to the point of burnout and complete exhaustion. In turn, this leaves us defeated, depressed, and so as we catch a moments breath we push on, yet only do we begin the cycle of striving once more.

We strive looking for more, when in reality what we need is less. To strive means to use great efforts to achieve or obtain. What are you striving for and why? What is the deep longing you hope to achieve? Are you striving to fulfill what is missing or are you striving as an act of obedience? Hebrews 4: 10-11says, “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore STRIVE to enter that rest” The Lord tells us to strive for rest, a rest from our works as he did. It does not say strive for more, wear yourselves out and keep going. NO! Rest means minimal function – not more. The world may teach us to push and to strive for more, however our Father teaches us to strive for rest.

When we lay aside our works, our doing, our striving it is then that we can set our eyes on true fulfillment which comes through seeking Him.

To seek also means to achieve or to obtain, however, it is done without great effort. It’s natural, there is an ease to it. Throughout mulitiple passages of scripture you will see “Seek Him” “Seek the Lord” “Seek after God” “Seek me” or “Seek you” in reference to the Father. To seek after our Heavenly Father should be a natural occurence, one without hardship. The Lord makes himself available to us. He is not hiding nor does he make it difficult. In Deuteronomy 4:29 it says, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” If you seek him YOU WILL find him. So simply stated. Take notice that we do not need to strive which is to use great effort to obtain him, but rather it says to seek, which means to obtain Him without great effort. We are to seek him with all that we are, not more than we are. The Lord teaches us to strive for rest but to seek him.

Our efforts and our works need to be in entering rest so that when in rest we can seek him.

When we seek the Lord, we find his strength, and with his strength we can then move forward to all he has called us to. We don’t need to strive in our own effort when our Father so generously gives us his strength, however we do need to seek him to receive. The world has and will continue to boast its ways of fulfillment and satisfaction, yet it’s path will continually lead us to striving for more and in turn leave us exhausted and unfufilled.

True fulfillment within comes when we strive for rest and seek the Lord in all things, in all times and in all ways.