Are you really hungry?

I went to dinner last night and was served a good plate of nourishing food. When it was set in front of me, inwardly I evaluted the way it was prepared – ‘the meat is overcooked.’  In that moment, a thought came to me.  “Jerry, you are not really hungry. If you were, you would eat this good food with thanksgiving.”  When a busy day has kept me from food and I am served a simple bowl of soup and a slice of bread, it seems a feast.  

Are you spiritually hungry? 
Or, has your appetite for the food of the Spirit been lost or temporarily satisfied by lesser things? 

Matthew 4 tells us about the temptation of Jesus. He prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights.  Naturally, he was extremely hungry. Who showed up next? Satan, with his various offers. It was Jesus' hunger that the devil exploited. In the middle of the battle for his soul, Jesus wanted food, comfort, and meaning. "Then the Devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:3-4, NLT)  There is truth packed into that short passage for us.

We live in a 'wilderness' where we too will meet temptation - spiritual and physical - that depletes our reserves and leaves us hungry, not just physically, but starved for love, for meaning, for hope, for peace and soul rest.  As he did with Jesus, the Enemy of our soul will exploit that hunger. When Jesus was near exhausted, depleted, and vulnerable, the devil lied - offering temporary satisfaction for the hunger that Jesus experienced. He attempted to lead Jesus to abuse God’s power and gifts in several ways. 

"Make a stone into bread!”
            “Throw yourself down and make God, your Father, show up to rescue you.”

“Worship me, just for a moment, and I'll give you recognition among men!"

Similarly, when we are spiritually hungry, or depleted by life, or in a time of challenges – temptation will find us. 

Feeling emotionally empty?

Throw an abusive tantrum and get some attention.

Need to be comforted?

Overeat. Buy a new toy.

Want meaning?

Pour yourself into getting power or gaining awards for your 'selfless' service.

Manipulate religion to make it serve your needs and desires.

Behind all of those temptations is the great lie: "God doesn't care about you. If He did, He wouldn't allow you to be hungry! SO, it's time to take care of yourself." 

Here's the faith challenge in such moments. It is the very love of God that allows us to feel hunger. He gave us an appetite so that we would hunger for Him, causing us to seek for Him!

That is why Jesus replied to the devil with the Word Truth again and again. Jesus insists - "My need will be met by my Father." And so should we!

That does not mean that God will take away our hunger or fill us up in the way we always want Him to. If He did, we would not worship Him. Fatness, not leanness, is the greater test of the soul. And, we must never forget in it all - God is still Present! Jesus was in the wilderness by the will of His Father. God, our Father, calls us to contentment in Him, trusting in His promise even when our hunger diminishes our ability to sense Him there.  Contentment is something entirely different than being satisfied. John Eldredge writes, "Contentment is not freedom from desire (hunger), but freedom of desire. Being content is not pretending that everything is way we wish it to be; it is not acting as though we have no wishes. Rather, contentment is no longer being ruled by our desires." 

Are you feeling an ache of spiritual hunger today? Has a trip through a wilderness left you worn out, wondering where God is, why He letting it happen? I ache with you. But, don't let your human emotions or the Deceiver turn that hunger into an occasion for sin- either by trying to satisfy it with temporal things or by accusing your Father of leaving you orphaned. Pray to be faithful, to find satisfaction in Him.

The word from the Word is TRUE, worthy of our meditation.  Take these words with you today and let them feed your soul. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NIV)

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As It Is In Heaven

Our Father Who art in Heaven

Hallowed be Thy name

Come and let Your glory come

And let Your glory fall

Our Father Who art in Heaven

The rocks cry out Your fame

Come and let Your glory come

And let Your glory fall

I will sing sing a new song

I will sing sing a new song

I will sing sing a new song

To the Lord

 

Let Your Kingdom come

Let Your will be done

On earth as it is in Heaven

Ev'ry heart proclaim

The mercy of Your name

On earth as it is in Heaven

 

God give us new ev'ry morning

Mercy as daily bread

In the name of Jesus

In the name of Jesus we pray

And lead us not to temptation

But deliver us with Your hand

In the name of Jesus

In the name of Jesus we pray

Father we pray

For the Kingdom is Yours

And the power is Yours

And the glory forever amen

And the Kingdom is Yours

And the power is Yours

And the glory forever amen

 

Ed Cash | Matt Maher

© 2005 spiritandsong.com (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

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CCLI License # 810055

 

 

Left-overs for God?

Bev did not like to waste food so leftover dinner portions were packaged and stored … that one serving of lasagna, that single pork chop, the cup of rice … for that one evening each week when we ate reheated ‘leftovers.’  I was not a fan and still do not care for leftovers unless it is a pot of soup! There just something wonderful about a kitchen filled with smells of dinner preparation, the fresh ingredients being turned into a meal that will bring nourishment and pleasure to those at the table. Leftover night was not about dining, in my opinion, it was just about eating. And, now you know. (smile)

My reading in the Word took me to the last book of the Old Testament.  It was written a few decades after the nation of Judah began to rebuild following the return of the exiles from Babylon. From the context of the message we can discern that the excitement about the rebuilt Temple had definitely worn off. The promise of a renewed nation of glory had not materialized. People were going through the motions of worship, but largely without enthusiasm. The preacher, Malachi, asked the people to think about the quality of their worship and devotion.

"The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’"

… "When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies." … “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings."

…  “Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord. “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!" (Malachi 1: 6, 8, 13-14, NLT)

Simply stated, God says that no worship is better than half-hearted worship.  Our Lord does not care for leftovers in our lives.  In fact, such an ‘offering’ is offensive to Him, unworthy of His majesty! He wants and deserves the first portion of our devotion.

Here are some pointed questions.

• Do you have a passion for serving God, or are you content with meeting minimal expectations?
• Do we give God the best part of our life or the leftovers?
• Does He get our attention in prayer or just sleepy words?
• Do we prioritize our worship or just ‘fit Him in’ when convenient?
• Is our service to Him and others a first-line commitment or something we do ‘if there’s time available?’
  

Malachi’s message needs to be heard again in our context.  We do not bring animal sacrifices any longer but the principles of priority are still applicable. “God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”  The Message (Romans 12:1)  Is it an acceptable offering, one of sacrifice worthy of His great Name?

He says. “If you won’t give the best, then don’t go through the motions! Shut the Temple doors!”   For our time, we find that challenge restated by Jesus Himself - “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16, NLT)

If we want a God-blessed life, if we want to enjoy His favor and know the fullness of joy that Jesus promises- we must give Him the first, the best, ‘our utmost for His highest.’ (Oswald Chambers)

The paradox of service is this. 

What is offered half-heartedly or out of duty seldom is effective and always leaves us unfulfilled.
What is offered with deep devotion and in full engagement of heart, soul, mind, and strength, brings us real joy and elevates Jesus,

The word from the Word for today restates in full the passage I quoted a moment ago. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." (Romans 12:1-2, NLT)  Can I get an “Amen?”

Here’s a thought to ponder - Would you want God to love you in the same way that you love Him?

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Here I Am To Worship
(Chris Tomlin sings a prayer)

Light of the world

You stepped down into darkness

Opened my eyes let me see

Beauty that made

This heart adore You

Hope of a life spent with You

 

So here I am to worship

Here I am to bow down

Here I am to say that You're my God

And You're altogether lovely

Altogether worthy

Altogether wonderful to me

 

King of all days

Oh so highly exalted

Glorious in heaven above

Humbly You came

To the earth You created

All for love's sake became poor

 

And I'll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross

And I'll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross

 

Tim Hughes © 2000 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055