Hungry?

About a month ago, I decided to lose some weight so I have taken note of the quantity and quality of the food I put into my mouth! I miss those snacks, those sweet treats, those salty chips. But I am moving towards my goal as one surely will when fewer calories are consumed. There is another benefit to getting rid of the junk food. Meals are more enjoyable because I develop a real hunger.  Sugary, fatty, salty stuff that adds so many calories to our diets also tend to dull our appetite for the bold flavors of vegetables and salads, don’t they?  I enjoy those leafy greens garnished with nuts or seeds, and brushed with a balsamic dressing.  Here’s a question for your thoughts - Is your soul being fed a ‘junk’ diet?

Are you filled up with sentimental religion, empty rituals, and quick fixes for life?

Or worse even, are you trying to find spiritual satisfaction in owning things, chasing excitement, or making a name for yourself?  Jesus says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NIV)

Do you know what you’re hungering for, really? Solomon knew soul hunger and had the means to try everything on life’s plate in his pursuit of satisfaction.  After building cities, chasing women by the hundreds, bringing orchestras to entertain him, and gaining international fame- his frustration with it all boils over in the refrain of Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!”   

He was empty, his soul still hungry. His advice?  "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”—" (Ecclesiastes 12:1, NIV) He had reached old age and the things that once let him avoid the hunger pangs of the heart no longer met the need. He realized, with great regret, that he could have known true soul satisfaction in the Lord years before.

The righteousness that truly satisfies is not one that we create with own efforts at ‘goodness.’  When we attempt to construct our own sense of being right with God, looking at our morality, our acts of worship, trying to think devotional thoughts – we will come up wanting, realizing that they are just not enough. Millions have tried and failed to be ‘good enough for God.’

He offers us, through faith in Christ Jesus, what we cannot gain on our own- being right with Him through the grace gift of salvation - "so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:29-31, NIV)   

We can find inner peace, knowing that He has completely provided for us that which we cannot reach for ourselves. He reconciles us to Himself. He justifies us, erasing shame and guilt. He gives us Christ’s righteousness. Our former sense of lack, our hunger for inner peace is deeply satisfied. "In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you." (Colossians 3:10, NLT)

Hungry? Turn to God!  Receive Christ, and pursue His ways.   Invite the Holy Spirit whet your appetite for the Word and for worship (which by the way does not just happen in church buildings) so that you will eat and be satisfied.

Here's a word from the Word.  Read this line from Isaiah’s words thoughtfully:   "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live."  (Isaiah 55:1-3, NIV) 

__________

Hungry

I'm falling on my knees

Offering all of me

Jesus You're all this heart is living for

Hungry I come to You for I know You satisfy

I am empty but I know Your love does not run dry

So I wait for You, So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees

Offering all of me

Jesus You're all this heart is living for

Broken I run to You for Your arms are open wide

I am weary but I know Your touch restores my life

Kathryn Scott

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