Guidelines for a Lifetime of Fulfillment
By Rochelle Nieman

Is your life fulfilling? Are you satisfied with the way things are going? Sadly, a majority of people would answer no to both of these questions. This is tragic because there are guidelines to help us find fulfillment and satisfaction. You should never be content to allow your life to be at a standstill. You must always keep pressing for more - to learn more, to accomplish more, to reach more, and to know God more. And this process is too important to accept feelings of dissatisfaction. Every one of us can and should live a life that is both pleasing to God and personally rewarding and fulfilling.

I am going to walk you through some guidelines that you can apply to help ensure that yours is a life of fulfillment and satisfaction.

1.		Invest in yourself. You are valuable and precious in the sight of God. In fact, in Ephesians 2:10, we learn that we are the Lord’s workmanship. We are created in the image of our heavenly Father, and we are all important and special to Him. The Bible repeatedly instructs us to gain knowledge from the Word of God. It is our responsibility to invest in ourselves by studying and understanding the Word. God can and has used ordinary people to do extraordinary things. But, the people He uses must have an open heart to His Word and must strive to apply the Word to their lives. With His knowledge, you can achieve all the things He has destined you to accomplish.
2.		Keep your reservoirs full. What does this mean? One of the first steps to finding fulfillment comes through giving. That’s right! To live a life of fulfillment, you must give of yourself to others. Now, in order to do this, you must have something to give. Store up compassion, encouragement, forgiveness, hope and faith in your life so that you will have enough to give to others when they need it. People admire, respect and want to be around people who have something to offer. In Matthew 5, we learn that the Kingdom of God is in us. Share your Kingdom mindset with the world around you. Be a friend to others. Be caring, helpful, loving, understanding and faithful.
3.		Be a person of faith and strong character. You must live a life of faith. Second Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” How are you walking? Are you thrown by everything around you, by sudden circumstances and situations? Or, do you keep yourself focused on the promises of God’s Word? Decide today to live by faith. Have faith in yourself, your family, your friends, your country and most of all your heavenly Father! Focus on the positives of life, instead of the negatives. As a result of living a life of great faith, you will become a person of strong character. Weak character is usually brought on by fear and insecurity. Don’t worry about or focus on your reputation. So often, people are so consumed by what others think, they lose sight of their personal character. Do you really know who you are? Have you established standards in your life that you refuse to compromise? Conform yourself, your character, to the image of God (Romans 8:29).
4.		Be enthusiastic and curious about life. Enthusiasm is an attitude, something we decide to be. Find things each and every day to live for. Enthusiasm is contagious. One word for enthusiasm is “passionate.” Be passionate about life as a child of God, as a joint-heir to His kingdom. Be enthusiastic about your destiny and your calling. Enthusiasm is powerful. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” An enthusiastic, joyful person is always curious about life. Do not develop tunnel vision. Force yourself to always look and live outside the box. Read and ask questions. Be ready to listen. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Curiosity is seeking or searching for knowledge. You will never obtain too much knowledge. Live with a curious attitude and a desire to learn. Exploring and expanding your mind and heart will add spice to your life.

God did not create you to have an unhappy existence. You were created to live in relationship with Him. That relationship entitles you to all that the Kingdom of God encompasses, which means you have the right to live a life of abundance, joy, peace, satisfaction, accomplishment and fulfillment. I challenge you today to do what it takes to live this life as a child of God.