Your Soul Needs Satisfaction
February 11, 2024
For advertisers to sell their products, they must generate a sense of need. They often do this by exploiting feelings of dissatisfaction in their potential customers. Advertisers recognize what many of us do not, that the human soul needs satisfaction. Join us for part 6 of The Care and Feeding of The Human Soul, where we will discuss the dangers of a dissatisfied soul.
Passage
2 Samuel 11 & 12
Principle
Your soul needs a ##satisfaction##.
A Soul that is not satisfied in God will…
- Become ##Restless##.
- ##Use## and ##Abuse## of Others.
- Develop an Insatiable ##Appetite## for ##More##.
Practice
Stop trying to satisfy your soul with ##temporary## things.
Invite Jesus to fill the ##God## ##sized## ##hole## in your soul.
Small Group Questions
Use this outline for personal reflection, as a couple or family devotion, or with a small group.
HANGOUT
What do we mean when we say someone is “short-sighted”? Have you ever known someone who sacrificed a long-term profit for a short-term gain? What makes us willing to sacrifice what we value for temporary pleasure?
HEAR
Read Genesis 25:29-34
- Who were Jacob and Esau?
- Do you think Esau needed to sacrifice his birthright? Why or why not? If not, why did he do it?
- Was Jacob right to take advantage of Esau? Why or why not?
- What was Jacob willing to sacrifice to gain the rights of the firstborn?
Read John 12:1-8
- Was Mary sacrificing a long-term asset for a short-term gain? Why or why not?
- What was Judas’s argument against Mary’s extravagance? Was he right? Why or why not?
Read Matthew 26:14-16
- What are some possible motives for Judas’s betrayal of Jesus? What, if any, similarities do you see between Esau, Jacob, and Judas?
- Read Luke 22:47-48 and Matthew 27:3-5. What does Judas’s attempt to return the money tell you?
- What is your “Bowl of Beans” or “Thirty pieces of silver”?
HUDDLE
Are your desires and longings pointing you to Jesus, or have they become idols that control your life? Talk about it, invite accountability, and take time to pray together.
Daily Reading
This week, we will re-read the story of King David’s fall and the aftermath that ensued. As you read, invite the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin in your life that threatens to impact those you love.
- Day 1: 2 Samuel 12
- Day 2: 2 Samuel 12
- Day 3: 2 Samuel 13
- Day 4: 2 Samuel 14
- Day 5: 2 Samuel 15
- Day 6: 2 Samuel 16 & 17
- Day 7: 2 Samuel 18
Think Deeper
- Have you ever sacrificed something valuable to satisfy a temporary appetite?
- Who has more control, you or your cravings?
- How might your cravings and desires point beyond themselves to something eternal?
Suggested Reading
Soul Keeping, by John Ortberg
The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard
Check out these and other books from our suggested reading list at https://bit.ly/AspireSMB.