"I am deeply dissatisfied in life."

I recently watched part of a conversation between two successful A-list actors. They were describing their fulfillment in life while acting versus their real-life. They both agreed that while they were acting, they had a sense of fulfillment they didn’t get out of their real-lives.

The male actor basically said he only feels satisfied and fulfilled when he's pretending to be another person in a world that's not real. I realize that's my summary of his brief statement, but I think there's a more significant takeaway that applies to our faith walk.

I speak with people who love Jesus but feel very dissatisfied in life. You wouldn't know from their Christian activity; how much they read their Bible and how much they give to their church, how much they volunteer. If you were to look at the list of Christian obligations, they check the box for most if not all of them. So why the dissatisfaction? Shouldn't all that Christian activity bring a sense of fulfillment and purpose?

Not necessarily. Not if that person's heart isn't in it, or they're doing those things because they feel like that's what they're supposed to do. In Christianity, if you serve, give, and do other things just because you're supposed to do them, you'll eventually want to stop doing them.

The parallel is this. Often the Christian is dissatisfied with life but feels like they're getting a sense of fulfillment when they're on stage acting like a Christian. But when they go home or into the rest of their lives, it feels empty. That leads the Christian to need their church to be exciting for them and give them a purpose. If you need your church to provide you with a sense of purpose, be careful. We are to organize and equip one another for the work of the ministry, but the equipping itself should not replace an authentic expression of ministry. Serving and being involved with a church community can be very fulfilling and rewarding if it's a genuine expression of who you truly are.

But there is still dissatisfaction even when the Christian’s schedule is booked with church programs and religious activity. When we're dissatisfied with life as Jesus followers, it's up to us to rearrange our lives to live from meaning and purpose, even in the mundane. I pray you have an outlet for your faith, and not just a stage to act on. I encourage you to serve and operate in your place in the Body of Christ. But I caution you not to let that be just a role you play.

God is not interested in your amount of activities in His name. He's interested in you being fully engaged in everything you do. Life is hard sometimes. Things happen that are so disappointing that it affects how we make decisions for the rest of our lives. We often give up on ourselves and slip into a survival mentality, believing that living a fulfilled life is not for us. While life may be challenging, we have a promise from God that our joy can be full, even amid disappointment, fear, persecution, suffering, and failure.

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Jesus goes on to talk about rejection and persecution from the world. I’ve seen it too many times, people’s lives are hard so they want their Christian life to be fun and exciting to give them a reprieve from the world and its troubles. There’s nothing wrong with fun and exciting faith, but joy is a deeper sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that is spiritual and not from the world.

God wants your joy to be full. He doesn't want you to just act like your joy is full at church or in your Christian activity. He wants you to have a deep sense of fulfillment and purpose in your ordinary and extraordinary moments. That takes living with courage. Courage is not always easy. Sometimes courage is overcoming boredom and depression to connect with God in a way that transcends temporary worldly fulfillment.

Don’t grow weary my friend. The Christian life is the most fulfilling way to live on planet earth. But be careful not to simply go through the motions. God is not on trial, needing to prove Himself to you when you’re disconnected. It’s up to you to dig into your heart and stir up the Spirit within you.

It’s a paradox because the way you stir up your spirit is by engaging in spiritual practices and disciplines. But we’ve all seen it, and maybe even experienced it. These practices and disciplines can grow emotionless and mechanical if they’re not engaged in a relational context with God. Things like prayer, meditation, worship, giving, and serving. Much like life for the actor, we look for another context in which to find fulfillment.

The actor feels alive when pretending to love something in a fake context. We must not let our faith expression become a fake expression in the context of church and ministry. I challenge you to find ways to genuinely engage God on an emotional level and do ministry toward others from a sense of purpose in him, living from fulfillment rather than for it.

We can learn a lesson from Joshua who took over the leadership position for the nation of Israel.. When God called Joshua to take over for Moses, he said this.

Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Joshua was facing an impossible situation after wandering in the desert for 40 years. He probably wanted to walk straight into the Promised Land and rest. Maybe kick his feet up and enjoy a church picnic. But he had work to do. Work that would give him plenty of opportunities to disconnect from the mission and retreat into his own world.

You are in the same position. You have the impossible task of representing God in his world. You are called to make disciples and perform miracles. Are you allowing church and Christian activity to replace that mission because it gives you an outlet close enough to the real thing? Or are you ready to be courageous? I can’t tell you what your next step is, but I can tell you that you need to prepare your heart. Be ready to be courageous. Make a commitment to not be discouraged.

Do you have anything to be courageous over in your life? Do you have something to live for that challenges you beyond your natural ability, causing you to depend on God's power? If not, don't beat yourself up, but begin to challenge yourself to give all of yourself to something. Don't pretend to give yourself to the work of Christ, go all in! Be courageous! Do not be discouraged! Do not be dismayed! The LORD, your God, is with you.

Watch the video above for the full sermon on this topic.

Watch the Spiritual Practices and Disciplines Series on YouTube.