35.w. “They were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

 

 

 

Genesis 7:1  Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

 Matthew 24:37-39    For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,  and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

 Hebrews 11:7   By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

 Psalms 91:1-10    He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

 Proverbs 14:26    In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

 Proverbs 18:10    The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

 Psalms 33:18-19    Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,  that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

 2 Peter 2:5-9     if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;  if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

The call to Noah is very kind, like that of a tender father to his children to come in-doors when he sees night or a storm coming. Noah did not go into the ark till God bade him, though he knew it was to be his place of refuge. It is very comfortable to see God going before us in every step we take. Noah had taken a great deal of pains to build the ark, and now he was himself kept alive in it. What we do in obedience to the command of God, and in faith, we ourselves shall certainly have the comfort of, first or last. This call to Noah reminds us of the call the gospel gives to poor sinners. Christ is an ark, in whom alone we can be safe, when death and judgment approach. The word says, Come; ministers say, Come; the Spirit says, Come, come into the Ark. Noah was accounted righteous, not for his own righteousness, but as an heir of the righteousness which is by faith, Heb 11:7. He believed the revelation of a saviour, and sought and expected salvation through Him alone. Thus was he justified by faith, and received that Spirit whose fruit is in all goodness; but if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. After the hundred and twenty years, God granted seven days’ longer space for repentance. But these seven days were trifled away, like all the rest. It shall be but seven days. They had only one week more, one sabbath more to improve, and to consider the things that belonged to their peace. But it is common for those who have been careless of their souls during the years of their health, when they have looked upon death at a distance, to be as careless during the days, the few days of their sickness, when they see death approaching; their hearts being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. As Noah prepared the ark by faith in the warning given that the flood would come, so he went into it, by faith in this warning that it would come quickly. And on the day Noah was securely fixed in the ark, the fountains of the great deep were broken up. The earth had within it those waters, which, at God’s command, sprang up and flooded it; and thus our bodies have in themselves those humours, which, when God pleases, become the seeds and springs of mortal diseases. The windows of heaven were opened, and the waters which were above the firmament, that is, in the air, were poured out upon the earth. The rain comes down in drops; but such rains fell then, as were never known before or since. It rained without stop or abatement, forty days and forty nights, upon the whole earth at once. As there was a peculiar exercise of the almighty power of God in causing the flood, it is vain and presumptuous to attempt explaining the method of it, by human wisdom. (Henry)

35. “To keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment”

 

2 Peter 2:9-15   then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.

Impure seducers and their abandoned followers, give themselves up to their own fleshly minds. Refusing to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ, they act against God’s righteous precepts. They walk after the flesh, they go on in sinful courses, and increase to greater degrees of impurity and wickedness. They also despise those whom God has set in authority over them, and requires them to honor. Outward temporal good things are the wages sinners expect and promise themselves. And none have more cause to tremble, than those who are bold to gratify their sinful lusts, by presuming on the Divine grace and mercy. Many such there have been, and are, who speak lightly of the restraints of God’s law, and deem themselves freed from obligations to obey it. Let Christians stand at a distance from such. (Henry)

These persons, by their fierce and ungovernable passions, appear to be made only for destruction, and rush blindly on to it. The idea is, that they exercised no more restraint over their passions than beasts do over their propensities. They were entirely under the dominion of their natural appetites, and did not allow their reason or conscience to exert any constraint.  Man has reason, and should allow it to control his passions; the brutes have no rational nature, and it is to be expected that they will act out their propensities without restraint. Man, as an animal, has many passions and appetites resembling those of the brute creation, but he is also endowed with a higher nature, which is designed to regulate and control his inferior propensities, and to keep them in subordination to the requirements of law. If a man sinks himself to the level of brutes, he must expect to be treated like brutes; They are not only useless to society, but destructive. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption – Their views will be the means of their ruin; and they render them fit for it. (Barnes)

These false teachers, not being guided by reason, much less by the light of the Spirit, but merely by sway of their natural inclinations, in speaking evil of things of God and what He has set in place for righteous living, shall bring upon themselves that destruction they have deserved. (Poole)

They are guided by an instinct in nature, to do what they do, so these men are led and influenced by the force and power of corrupt nature in them, to commit all manner of wickedness. They speak evil of the things they understand not; either of angels, of whose nature, office, and dignity, they are ignorant; and blaspheme them, by either ascribing too much to them, as the creation of the world, and divine worship, as were by some ancient heretics; or by speaking such things of them. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption: of which they are servants, in their moral corruption, in their filthy and unnatural lusts, which are the cause of their everlasting destruction, to which they are righteously appointed of God. (Gill)

In our society today, false beliefs and teachings are often accepted without ever being tested. People believe that social media memes and TV talking heads are the source of truth. They latch on to rumors, myths and hearsay like it’s the final word. While we’re seeing this a lot in our modern world, it is not a new phenomenon. Even in the first century, false teachers were making their way into churches, and people were buying the lies they were selling. I wonder how supposedly “Christian” teachers could say something that is so totally at odds with the Bible. However, Peter tells us in verse 12 that false teachers “speak evil of the things they do not understand.” They are willfully ignorant of Scripture on one hand, while claiming the moral authority of the Bible on the other. (Graham)

To listen to others’ thoughts about what the Word of God says and its application is good. However, when it is the only feeding of the soul a person receives leaves an opening to be led down paths that neither honor nor glorify Jesus Christ. Time needs to be set aside from the busyness of life for each person to spend time in the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten, guide, teach, and rebuke their thoughts and actions. Only through the lens of scripture can discernment of false teaching be realized and protected against.

33.f. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”

 

1 John 4:13  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

 Job 15:21    Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.

 Psalms 73:19    How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

 Psalms 119:120    My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.

 James 2:19    You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

As I read 1 John 4 I am drawn to; “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”.  This small selected verse out of 1 John 4, does not stand alone. It is context with the “Day of Judgment”.  Fear is used a couple of different ways in scripture, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; Fear here means respectful, compliant, devoted, and loving reverence to God. We must distinguish between the fear of God and being afraid of him; the fear of God imports high regard and veneration for God. Obedience and good works, done from the principle of love, are not like the servile toil of one who unwillingly labors from dread of a master’s anger.

In 1 John, fear is a kind of fear that involves a torment that agonizes the soul and robs it of any lasting joy or confidence. 

The coming “Day of Judgment” should instill this type of fear in every living human being. I am amazed at how freely John speaks of it as if the “Day of Judgment” was understood and believed by most in his day. Today you hear little of it now and even less to fear it. Yet, within every soul is a foundational knowledge of God that should inspire our soul to want to know and understand Him.

People’s conditions are varied. Those without fear and love for God – give no thought to God, the coming judgment, and eternity in Hell. 

Those with fear but without love for God – have given thought to God, the coming judgment, and eternity in Hell awaiting them and have a tormenting fear. They have not surrendered, repented, believed, trusted, or relied on Jesus Christ.

Those without knowledge of our sin, fear of the coming judgment and eternity in Hell and with a trusting and believing reliance in God – love of Him as Creator, Father, All-powerful, All-knowing, Redeemer of our soul”,  We have been “born again” and are a “new creation” in Jesus Christ. Our love continues to be perfected. We continue to strive to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we think, say and do. It is in this loving trust in Jesus Christ that the fear and torment within our souls are removed. 

The completeness of love means we do not cower in fear before God, dreading His judgment, either now or on the day of judgment. We know all the judgment we ever deserved – past, present, and future – was poured out on Jesus Christ on the cross. Let the discovery of my own sinfulness direct me to its remedy, the righteousness and the Cross of Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, can deal with the disturbing element in my relation to God. He can ‘deliver me. It is Christ and His work, Christ and His sacrifice, Christ and His indwelling Spirit that will grapple with and overcome sin and all its consequences, in any man and in every man; taking away its penalty, lightening the heart of the burden of its guilt, delivering from its love and dominion–all three of which things are the barbs of the arrows with which fear riddles heart and conscience. So my fear should proclaim to me the merciful ‘Name that is above every name,’ and drive me as well as draw me to Christ, the Conqueror of sin, and the Antagonist of all dread. Make ready for the coming storm, and remember that the mission of fear is to lead you to the Christ who will take it away. (MacLaren)

32.m. “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God”

 

Matthew 11:20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

 Jude 1:11   Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.

 Ezekiel 3:6-7   not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.  But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart

 Hebrews 10:26-31    For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,  but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.  Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.  How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

“Unresponsiveness to the voice of God is the characteristic of this generation, and will be its downfall.” (France)

It is not only western industrial nations that have had access to the gospel. Technology, computers, internet, websites, translations, radio, TV, etc…. leave no room for excuse. No other society has had access to God’s Word, (Scripture, Gospel of Jesus Christ) at their fingertips, yet they reject and deny it of any value for their soul.

“The people in the cities listed above did not attack Jesus Christ; they did not drive him from their gates; they did not seek to crucify him; they simply disregarded him. In the end, neglect will kill much more than persecution ever did.” (Barclay)

When I read, “But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”, “ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God”, “But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” Here it is implied that there are in fact different degrees of judgment. Some will be punished more severely in the final judgment than others. In fact, those who were living out sin and doing all kinds of fleshly and worldly sinful things will be judged to some lesser degree than those who flat out know the offer of redemption and salvation but not only reject it they deny it any room in their heart for it.  God has opened their heart to the Gospel and they neglect, reject, and deny any need for it. 

It is not hard for me to understand and believe in heaven and hell. What is hard for me to understand is how a person whose heart and mind have been open to the need of salvation and have heard the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have an understanding of heaven and hell and choose hell. Lost on us is an understanding of eternity. Eternal life or eternal hell. Separated from the love of God forever.  The busyness of life needs to be slowed down in most lives. Being too busy for giving thought to eternity just doesn’t make sense now and for sure will not in the future.

27.y. “On the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak”

 

Ephesians 5:4  Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

 Proverbs 12:23   A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

 Proverbs 15:2    The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

 Jude 1:10   But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively

 Colossians 3:8   But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

 Matthew 12:34-37   You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 Romans 1:28    And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Paul’s appeal to the Ephesians was to be ever mindful of who they were in Christ and as such there ought to be a difference in how they speak and act even if the rest of the culture approves. They ought to know what is right, pure, and God honoring in their speech and actions. They ought to weigh every word in the light of God-honoring speech. As men, don’t have to spend much time outside our homes before we are bombarded with course language, filthy jokes, or other meaningless talk that adds nothing of value to our soul and certainly not toward God.  We need to recognize and be able to discern what is right, honorable, and pleasing to God.  The problem is we don’t recognize it as wrong or we shrug it off as fitting in.  This problem has many roots that are anchored to our heart, mind, and soul.  Neglect, complacency, remaining an infant in things of God, busyness, a lack of desire to honor and glorify God, wanting to fit in, shallow and stagnate knowledge of God’s Word, no hunger or thirst for His leading, and unwilling to fully commit to the will of God.  

Psalms says: Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— the LORD—knows the thoughts of man

Pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.”

Genenis 13:1  So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.  Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.  And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,  to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.  And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,  so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,  and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.  Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.  Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”  And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)  So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.  Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.  Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

Genesis 18:20    Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,

  Isaiah 1:9     If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

  Isaiah 3:9    For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.

Ezekiel 16:46-50    And your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.  Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.  As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.  Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.

Matthew 11:23-24   And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

2 Peter 2:6-8    if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);

The path Lot chose was place he likened to “the garden of the LORD” and why not, well watered and established.  Abraham chose whatever Lot did not.  I imagine, if we are given a choice, we will pick the path that seems more pleasing.

Either path is right but what lies ahead can be a bit deceiving.  Looks, as they say, are deceiving.  Who would think a land of prosperity, abundance of food, and prosperous ease would lead to anyone having pride rather than thankfulness.

I wonder how much our culture resembles the life styles, thoughts, actions of Sodom.  I question the liberal application of morals and adoption of them by many –  How close are we to that of Sodom?  Are we half way there or surpassing?

Oh, God heal our nation, draw us back to where You and Your word are guiding and directing our thoughts.  Place barriers in our paths that might otherwise lead us away from thinking and desiring You.  Light a fire in our soul and fill us with your Spirit, anew.  Open our eyes and ears to see and hear what is right and acceptable in Your sight.  Soften our heart to those in need, fill us with courage to stand up for that which is right in Your eyes.  Teach us to be humble, thankful, generous, king and loving so that our lives honor and glorify You alone.

Reread this last paragraph with “Me” instead of our or us.

New heavens and new earth

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”

Psalms 102:26  They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

Isaiah 34:4     All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.

Isaiah 66:22     “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain.

2 Peter 3:7-12     But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.  But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

Revelation 20:11    Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

Revelation 21:1    Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Have you ever heard someone say “Live like there is no tomorrow”?  What are they really saying?  For some this would translate into “Party Time” and give no thought of the ramifications their actions would have on them or others.  Why not?  They assume all will end and there is nothing beyond this life.  No eternity.  No judgement. No God. No Heaven. No life after death.

For others, who believe, they may see this as so important they contact all family and friends they can, knowing they have little time, and tell them of God, eternity, judgment, life after death,  Good News of Jesus Christ, and salvation, new heaven and new earth, life eternal.  By the way this is how we ought to think – like there is no tomorrow.

There was a small book I read written by Brother Lawrence.  While he was out tending his garden the question was posed to him, “what would you do if you knew the world would end tomorrow?”.  He replied, “I would keep tending my garden.”  Brother Lawrence explained why.  He said he absolutely knew that he was doing God’s will and purpose.  He lived continually in the presence of God.  He sought nothing of his day but only to that which God was leading.  He sought to hear God’s leading and then, by faith, acted upon that.  He stayed in close contact with God through His word and in prayer.  Brother Lawrence only wanted to do what God had purposed for His life.  The world did not influence his actions, God did.  The world did not give him satisfaction, God did.  We all would do well to seek to know and understand God’s purpose for our life and then, by faith, always take action accordingly as His quiet small voice of leading is directing us.