GETTING GODLY NEEDS AND DESIRES MET IN GODLY WAYS
(Matthew 11:28-30), “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The phrase “my yoke is easy” from the above passage means, “well-fitting”, and carries the idea that when a person gets saved, they are placed in the kingdom of God and that God has provided everything that person will ever need in their lives in order to fully enjoy life.”
In our last newsletter, I told you that we were going to be looking at how believers can have their Godly Needs and Desires met in Godly ways that will bring satisfaction and meaning to their lives. Before we look at how this can be done, I just want to remind you, that, mankind is a physical, emotional, and spiritual being with God given needs and desires. For every God given need and desire that man has, there is a God given fulfillment. When man’s needs are met God’s way with His well-fitted yoke, there is satisfaction in a person’s life. But when a person is driven to meet their God given needs and desires in ungodly ways, without His well-fitted yoke, their attempts will end in futility and frustration, leaving them without satisfaction and meaning in life.
Think of the Kingdom of God as a jigsaw puzzle. For the puzzle to be complete each piece is fitted and placed in the exact spot where it is needed. This is true with a puzzle and it is also true in a believer’s life. Each believer is tailor-made for God and it is only when they seek to meet their God given needs and desires God’s way will they be happy, fulfilled, and satisfied in their lives. This is known as the believer surrendering their will to God’s will.
Man is a tripartite being created by God with a precise order and balance of body, soul, and spirit. Man lost this order and balance when he sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. In salvation, God works in the life of believers to restore this balance. It is the blending, binding, and balancing of the body, soul, and spirit that enables a believer to have their God given needs and desires met, thus bringing about fulfillment and satisfaction in their lives. For this balance to take place, believers must understand their temperament and its influence in maintaining balance in their body, soul, and spirit.
What is a temperament? Temperament, in simple terms, is the inborn part of a person that determines how they react to people, places, and things. In short, temperament determines how people perceive themselves, how they interact with their environments and the world around them, and is a determining factor in the spiritual development of believers. We understand from the Word of God as I have already shared with you that man is a tripartite being, consisting of spirit, soul, and body. The soul of man includes the mind (intellect), will, and emotions.
How does this relate to getting our God-given needs met in God-given ways? Well, just as man is a tripartite being (spirit, soul, body), the soul of man also consists of three parts; the mind (intellect), will, and emotions. Furthermore, the temperament of man consists of three areas (inclusion – intellect); control (will); and affection (emotions). Our temperaments overlap our spirit, soul, and body, and that’s why, if a believer could meet every temperament need they have in ways that are pleasing to the Lord, by drawing from the Holy Spirit, they would be totally satisfied and completely fulfilled in their lives.
In our next newsletter, we will begin looking deeper into the different types of temperaments, their strengths and weaknesses, and their role in the spiritual development of believers.