How can believers communicate the ultimate joy and satisfaction found in God to both unbelievers facing challenges and those who appear to be flourishing?

In this video, Scott Aniol discusses the importance of communicating to unbelievers that ultimate joy, enjoyment, and satisfaction are found in God alone. He identifies two situations commonly faced by unbelievers: those living miserable lives with difficult circumstances and those who believe they are happy and successful. Aniol emphasizes that in both situations, believers need to convey to unbelievers that their ultimate joy is not found in worldly circumstances or achievements but in a relationship with God. While it may be easier to convince those in difficult circumstances that God can bring them surpassing joy and satisfaction, it can be more challenging to help those who seemingly have everything they need to recognize the temporary nature of earthly joys and the need for eternal fulfillment found in God.

Aniol draws attention to Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well in John 4. When Jesus spoke about the water He offers, He highlighted the temporary nature of earthly joys, including a drink of water. While earthly joys may bring satisfaction, they are fleeting and leave one thirsty again. Aniol explains that all of God's good gifts, including marriage, family, and other earthly blessings, bring legitimate joy but are ultimately temporary. The goal is to help unbelievers understand that these joys will fade away, and their ultimate joy and satisfaction can only be found in the water that Jesus provides, which leads to eternal life.

Believers are called to convey this message to unbelievers, helping them see the limitations of earthly joys and pointing them toward the eternal fulfillment found in a relationship with God. By recognizing the temporary nature of earthly joys and emphasizing the eternal satisfaction offered by God, believers can effectively communicate the ultimate source of joy and lead others to a meaningful relationship with the Creator.

In Matthew 5:6 (NKJV), Jesus teaches about the blessedness of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

I think unbelievers around us are typically in one of two situations. Either they are living miserable lives, maybe they have difficult circumstances or they're facing challenges, or they might think that they're pretty happy. They might think that they're pretty successful. They enjoy their jobs and they might have relatively good families and relatively good success. In both of those situations, our goal needs to be to communicate to these unbelieving people that that ultimate joy, ultimate enjoyment, ultimate satisfaction is found in God and God alone.

But in both of those situations, we might approach that differently. In some ways, it's almost easier for the unbeliever who is miserable. They're struggling in their life, and we can show them that God is the source of satisfaction and joy that will supersede all of these trials and tribulations and struggles that they're going through. It's sometimes easier to convince somebody who's going through those sorts of difficult circumstances that Christ can bring them ultimate joy in him, not in any of these things that are tempting us to find satisfaction in the world. It's sometimes more difficult to convince somebody to find joy in the Lord, to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, when it seems to them like everything is going fine.

They have a good family. They have a nice wife and children. Their children are getting good grades in school. They have a good job. They seem to be flourishing.

It might be more difficult to convince them because in reality, those are good things that God has given to humanity. God has given us marriage and families and jobs and even the good gifts of his creation for our betterment, for our delight. These are good gifts from God. And so they really do bring joy. But what we need to help the unbeliever see is that although these things do bring us joy, they do bring us satisfaction, they do not bring us ultimate satisfaction.

When I think about this, I think about Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well in John chapter 4. When the woman asks him for a drink, Think about a drink of water. It's a hot day and you get a cool glass of water. That brings satisfaction. We enjoy a good glass of water.

Whether you're a believer or an unbeliever, a cool glass of water is a good gift from God. But what Jesus helped the woman at the well understand is what we need to help unbelievers understand when they are finding joy in even good things. Jesus said to the woman in John 4 13, will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." What is Jesus saying?

He's saying that a drink of water will bring you joy. It will bring you satisfaction, but it won't last. Pretty soon you are going to be thirsty again. And that is the reality of all of God's good gifts in this life. These are things that God has given to all humankind that do bring us joy, but they're fleeting joy.

They're temporary joy. We're going to get thirsty again. We need to help unbelievers realize that all of these things that they're finding joy in, while they are legitimate joys, they're going to fade away. Our children are going to leave the house. Our spouses might die.

They might come under an illness. These things are gonna fade away. And so we need to find our ultimate joy in the water that brings eternal life, a satisfaction that will never end. That's what we need to leave the unbeliever to understand. But also then we need to leave the unbeliever to understand that even though these earthly joys are truly good things, they are from God, who is the ultimate source of all good things.

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