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

© 1999 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Vineyard Music UK)

CCLI License # 810055

Different kind of rich

The elderly man is at the end of his life. After a life full of caring for his family and others, he finds himself helpless. He shook his head in a kind of disbelief as he told me, “I used to teach them things, but there is nothing left.”  Another person who wrestles with faith told me that he thinks that God is an idea for weak people, that he is managing his life quite well on his own.  At this time, it appears he is. He is strong, self-sufficient, even proud in many ways. Both of these men, who are in very different situations, need the wisdom of Jesus. For one it is comfort. For the other it is a challenge.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:3-5, NIV)

That list is not exactly the ideal life in our thoughts, is it? Who wants to be desperate, pushed beyond limit, which is what it means to be ‘poor in spirit?’  I know first-hand, the pain of mourning, of waking up to deep sorrow, day after day, and it is a kind of hurt that has no equal in my experience.  Meekness? This is the stuff of mockery and comedy.  Meek and weak are synonymous in our thoughts.

But, Jesus opens His amazing sermon about the life that God blesses with these astonishing statements about discovery of the sufficiency of God, about learning our true hope that is secured in Him! He reminds us that at the end of Self there is more, and that ‘more’ is the rich knowledge of God’s provision. Perhaps that stretches credibility for you. At one time it did for me, too.  I was, even as a professing Christian, a prideful man, full of plans and convinced that I could do good things by the force of my own ability and strength. At great cost to myself and others I came to know the folly of that kind of life.  My greatest regrets come from moments of arrogant self-will in which I was deluded.

God is not a sadist, nor does He desire our destruction.  But, He also knows that real life, our best life, is found in knowing Him, secured by the grace gift of Christ Jesus for life here and in eternity.

A young, rich nobleman came to Jesus and in a moment of authenticity asked what he could do find eternal life. He revealed a sense of need in that moment. How did Jesus answer him? He asked him to give away the wealth in which he found his security and to become His disciple. "Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went sadly away because he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. I say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Matthew 19:21-24, NLT)

Don’t misunderstand this encounter. Jesus had nothing against the man’s wealth. It was his love of it, his trust in it, that was the stumbling block to his spiritual maturity, his discovery of God’s sufficiency for him. Jesus’ famed line about camels and needles eyes is frequently misunderstood as well.  It is not a condemnation of the rich. It is His observation that wealth can create the illusion of independence, distancing that person from relying God’s provision, which can make the humility necessary for accepting God’s grace gift of salvation nearly impossible.

Are you in a place where you feel that there is no place left to turn, that you are out of options, ‘poor in spirit?’ 

Look up! Trust God, who loves you.

Are you broken by life, perhaps by regrets, by the loss of what is dear to you, ‘mourning?’ 

God is the Healer of broken hearts, the One whose ‘compassion is new every morning.’

Are you willing to become meek, releasing the need to force your way, to serve Ego, ‘meek?’ 

Then you can find the power of the Spirit and a whole new way to influence the world in which you live.

I didn’t say those things, Jesus did! Perhaps you are not in those places but like the rich young man who came to Jesus, you hunger for more; realizing that life, though good, is more than what you can buy, what car you drive, what clubs you visit. God invites you to know Him, but it is a path of self-abandonment and surrender that allows us to own His grace and goodness.

Here is the word from the Word, that passage from the Message.

"“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought." (Matthew 5:3-5, The Message)

Give us ears to hear and eyes to see the Truth. Amen.

________

You Say

I keep fighting voices in my mind

That say I'm not enough

Ev'ry single lie that tells me

I will never measure up

Am I more than just the sum of

Ev'ry high and ev'ry low

Remind me once again just who I am

Because I need to know oo oh

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

You say I am held when I am falling short

And when I don't belong oh You say I am Yours

And I believe oh I believe

What You say of me I believe

The only thing that matters now

Is ev'rything You think of me

In You I find my worth

In You I find my identity

Taking all I have and now I'm laying it at Your feet

You'll have ev'ry failure God

You'll have ev'ry victory

Oh I believe yes I believe

What You say of me I believe

Jason Ingram | Lauren Daigle | Paul Mabury

© 2016 CentricSongs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Healing

 

Even the most optimistic person, with the sunniest disposition, recognizes that there are millions who live with pain, who are abused by powerful people, who struggle to survive. Health care in America this year will top $3 trillion, about 18% of our total economy! Even accounting for unnecessary procedures, we can see that sickness and disease remains a real issue even in this developed nation. Eventually everyone encounters the limits in life that come with advancing years. Franklin wryly observed, along with taxes, the other certainty is death. Is there hope for healing?

Matthew tells us that "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him." (Matthew 4:23-25, NIV)

Let’s consider that word – healing - which causes so much controversy among Christians. Should we pray for healing? Does God still heal people today? Yes, we should, and yes, He does. Sickness and suffering are part of sin’s curse in this world and we know that Jesus came to defeat Satan, to forgive sin, and to invite us into God’s kingdom.  The restoration of health in body and spirit are benefits available to the Believer. That said, I take issue with those who declare that with enough faith we can enjoy miraculous healing of every disease, healing on demand. God allows some Christians to suffer. Many become sick and eventually we all die. However, we can experience the power of Jesus and find, in Him, a life that knows His touch and wholeness and hope in every situation.

One of the errors about healing is that is often seen as an event rather than a lifestyle. Jesus calls us into a relationship with Him. When we are obedient disciples, living as He desires – forgiving, loving, treating our bodies with respect, avoiding the sins of the flesh, finding a balance in worship and work, refusing to let anxiety own us – we generally find ourselves healthier in every way; healed. Healing is also a word about our spiritual state. Without Christ, we have no hope of eternal life. In Him, we are fully assured that when the body wears out we will leave behind what C. S. Lewis called the ‘shadowland,’ and fully become the glorious children of God in His Presence.

Here's a pointed question – are you living a whole life in the fullness of the Spirit?
Or, are you defying God, refusing His gracious offer of healthy living and then expecting Him to miraculously step in and make it all better?

The word from the Word comes to us from the Psalms today. It is a celebration of the whole life that we find when we turn to our God. The entire Psalm is beautiful but for the sake of brevity, here is a part for your meditation today. May it point us towards a life that is whole, that knows the goodness of our Father.

"Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy." (Psalm 107:17-22, NIV)
_________

Living Hope
(a song about the healing we find in Him)

How great the chasm that lay between us

How high the mountain I could not climb

In desperation I turned to heaven

And spoke Your name into the night

Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness

Tore through the shadows of my soul

The work is finished the end is written

Jesus Christ my living hope

Who could imagine so great a mercy

What heart could fathom such boundless grace

The God of ages stepped down from glory

To wear my sin and bear my shame

The cross has spoken I am forgiven

The King of kings calls me His own

Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever

Jesus Christ my living hope

Hallelujah praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There’s salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ my living hope

Then came the morning that sealed the promise

Your buried body began to breathe

Out of the silence the Roaring Lion

Declared the grave has no claim on me

(REPEAT)

Jesus Yours is the victory whoa

Jesus Christ my living hope

Oh God You are my living hope

Brian Johnson | Phil Wickham

© 2017 Phil Wickham Music (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

Simply Global Songs (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

Sing My Songs (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

CCLI License # 810055