Still Hungry?

A steak sizzles on the grill. A potato bakes in the oven, getting ready for serving with sour cream and butter. There is whole grain bread, warmed and rich in flavor. A salad of fresh greens and vegetables is prepared along with a homemade vinaigrette dressing … hungry yet?  

My tastes are simple, but I know this - a fatty, salty cheeseburger and some fries will fill my stomach, but a rich meal will truly satisfy my hunger for much longer.  America’s number one health problem is obesity. Could it be that the fast food we eat too often is leaving us hungry, thus increasing our consumption of calories?

Of course I am not a dietician, but I am a pastor and I know that too often, too many, spend too much time chasing satisfaction for their empty soul in junk food - entertainment, sex, TV, and endless diversions! Even Christians remain spiritually hungry, starved even, because their spiritual diet is mostly pre-digested devotional material, 30 second prayers, infrequent worship, and based on emotion rather than truth.  Sound harsh? Give me a couple of minutes to explain.

IF we chase an emotional high in our spirituality while avoiding the complexities of spiritual disciplines such as meditation, silence, and corporate because they are hard, or boring, or just feel unfamiliar - we will not come to know the fullness of the Spirit of God Who, alone, can satisfy our hunger and thirst!  A quick hit of inspiration cannot replace a soul-deep time with God. An occasional thought of spiritual matters cannot take the place of the pursuit of the Presence of the Living God. The Lord asks us a question and follows with a promise:  
“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul.”

“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David.”- Isaiah 55:1-3 (NLT)

We are made to know God, alive in His Spirit, experiencing His Presence.
If we do not pursue Him, because of fear, or rebellion, or ignorance, our famished soul will look for something or someone to satisfy.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is our invitation to know God. He closed the gap that existed because of guilt and shame, inviting us to come close to Him. Listen to the Word. On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “If you are thirsty, come to me!  If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.”  (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.) -John 7:37-39 (NLT)

My friend, we do not have to go to some far away place to find Him. We need not go on an expensive spiritual retreat or find some special preacher or spiritual leader. He is here, now!  He will come to the humble one who invites Him in faith to be Savior, Lord, and Hope. He is the ‘Bread of Life.’  When we have received His grace gift we then must learn to live in Him, serving, worshipping, developing ways that are holy and pleasing to Him. The Scripture illustrates this growth by referring to the ‘milk’ of spiritual infancy and the ‘meat’ enjoyed by those who are grown up in Christ.

In what are you trying to find soul-satisfaction? The word from the Word is the wisdom of Jesus who contrasts a life given to temporal things - clothes, wealth, pleasure- with the life of the Spirit. Jesus says: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:31-33, NLT)  That sounds like real soul satisfaction to me! How about you?

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(Video of this blog at this link)

Satisfied

 All my lifelong I had panted
For a drink from some cool spring
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within

Hallelujah I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved
Jesus satisfies my longings
Thro' His blood I now am saved

Feeding on the husks around me
Till my strength was almost gone
Longed my soul for something better
Only still to hunger on

Poor I was and sought for riches
Something that would satisfy
But the dust I gathered 'round me
Only mocked my soul's sad cry

Well of water ever springing
Bread of life so rich and free
Untold wealth that never faileth
My Redeemer is to me

 Clara Tear Williams © Public Domain

Value Added!

Here is a little phrase to start your week right - "Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud" (Maya Angelou) Who is not delighted by the splash of color that appears when the sun reappears after a storm, often when the clouds are still clearing from the sky?  In much the same way, we can add value to life if we choose to focus on bringing joy, encouragement, hope, and love into our circle of life. So many people are turned inward, carefully looking out for #1, quick to take offense, making sure to get their ‘fair share’ of attention.  In contrast, think of that person who notices others, who gives herself away, who lifts your spirit when she’s around. Like a ray of sunshine on a clouded day, isn’t she?

Last week we learned of an amazing choice by a woman unknown to us. Ruth Gottesman, age 93, has donated $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. The money will be placed in an endowment to fund the education of future physicians. She was a faculty member who had worked her entire life at the institution.  She claimed she had no knowledge of the vast wealth that her husband, Sandy, an early investor in Berkshire Hathaway, had accumulated. When he died in 2022 at the age of 96 he left her the money.  His only instruction was ‘do whatever you think best with it.’  Her gift has the potential to change lives in ways beyond our imagination. Yes, she is a value-added person!

Now let me remind us - one does not have to invent a cure for cancer or give $millions to charity to add value to life. However, we will share one common trait - GENEROSITY!  People who bring life and light, hope and joy, are outward focused, actively seeking ways to connect and improve the situations in which they find themselves.

Jesus teaches us this in his words in Luke’s Gospel. There we read - “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” (Luke 6:37-38, The Message) What a counter cultural way to live:  giving, not getting!

Today, notice that person who sits alone. Look at the faces of those around you and offer a smile. Speak a word of encouragement when the opportunity arises. Leo Buscaglia said “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”  Those are gifts we ALL can give.

So what makes that kind of life possible?

It begins with love. Sounds trite perhaps, but it is true. Children who are deeply loved, who grow up in homes where they feel secure, where they experience clear boundaries of behavior, where they are taught responsibility accompanied by affirmation, are much more likely to share of themselves than those who are insecure. 

You and I are just ‘big kids’ in many ways, still very much in need of knowing our own value, of experiencing an enriching love. That is NOT just for others, my friend, is for all of us who learn of the love of our Father. John exults - "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1, NIV)  Christianity centers on the message of the selfless love of our Savior. He gave Himself, joined us in our experience, and saves us from death and destruction.

How I hope that you know the love of God, shown in Jesus. There is so much freedom found in being held in the hands of God, come what may in life.

This value-added life is a daily choice in the place where we are.  Generous people do not wait until they feel that they have enough. They give of what they have.  Paul wrote of the willingness of the Christians in Corinth, who were going through difficult times, to share out of their poverty. "Now I want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will." (2 Corinthians 8:1-3, NLT)

The paradox of that way of life is that the giver actually finds himself richer for the giving!
Pray to know the love of God, then love.
Trust the provision of your Father with thanks, then share what you have.

The word from the Word comes from the Proverbs. Take the thoughts with you and be a rainbow in someone’s sky today!

"It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.
The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:24-25, NLT)

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(Video of this blog at this link)

God So Loved

Come all you weary
Come all you thirsty
Come to the well that never runs dry
Drink of the water
Come and thirst no more

Come all you sinners
Come find His mercy
Come to the table He will satisfy
Taste of His goodness
Find what you're looking for

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever

Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting there
With open arms

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever
The power of hell forever defeated

Now it is well I'm walking in freedom
For God so loved God so loved the world

Praise God praise God
From whom all blessings flow
Praise Him praise Him
For the wonders of His love

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save

Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting
God so loved the world

Andrew Bergthold | Ed Cash | Franni Cash | Martin Cash | Scott Cash

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