Hunger gets you to the table

There are a whole lot of character traits I could choose for my "H" List - things like humility, honor, honesty, hopefulness, and holiness.  Yet, I choose to focus on one character trait today:  Hunger.  You see, if hunger is one of your character traits, humility will follow, honor will be your adornment, honesty will be your way of doing business, hopefulness will spring from your heart, and holiness will be evident in your words and actions.  So, hunger really is an all-encompassing character trait for our "H" List today!

You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.  (Matthew 5:6 MSG)

This passage is taken from the Sermon on the Mount.  I'd like to back up a little to get some perspective though.  First, we find Jesus climbing a small mountain or up onto a hillside.  Why?  The crowds were gathering and this gave him position to speak to the vast crowd - his voice would carry since what he did was actually create something of an outside amphitheater.  Next, we see he did not climb alone - those who were "apprenticed" to him, the committed, climbed with him.  In other words, those who were in service with him.  These were his disciples - those who would be in for the long haul.  Not to be missed is the "posture" of Jesus as he began to teach - he sat down.  Now, at first this may not say much, but think about it - he sat down.  This suggests a place of comfort and a time of personal sharing.  Last, but not least, catch who it was he began to teach - his "climbing companions".  It was those who were committed to the long haul he sat with that day - opening up his heart and sharing his treasured teachings.

This brings us to the posture of his "climbing companions" - they sat down, too.  They were ready to receive from him - expectant for what he might share.  This is probably the most important part of "hunger" - there is a desire to receive because their is an intensity of need.  If you have ever been hungry, stomach rumbling a little, you have an urgency of need which compels you to find something to satisfy the hunger, right?  You either prepare it yourself, or you go some place where you can find it prepared already.  For these disciples, the latter is true - they come expectant to find that which will satisfy their hunger for truth.  We cannot miss their posture - they sat down.  This is more than a casual pursuit for them - it is not fast food!  They are assuming a position which suggests they are there to receive - not just get a "quickie" infusion of spiritual advice!

Then Jesus begins to "deliver" their "meal":

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule." - This may not seem like the way to open up a good "meal", but think about what he is saying here - when you are hungry enough, you are empty!  Emptiness is the opportunity for filling.  

⁴ “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." - Loss leaves us empty, but through loss, we are free to embrace things new to us.  Hunger is built in the times of loss - for we move from being comfortable, to beginning to seek something to satisfy the longing of our hearts.

⁵ “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." - Hunger moves us because we are no longer content with the quick fixes or the tidbits of stuff we take in to fill the space inside.  Yet, it is not until we realize what really satisfies our hunger that we are content in "being filled". 

And this brings us to our passage today:  “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat."  Hunger is a compelling need - it drives you.  It is often associated with a feeling of weakness.  The body is uniquely designed to "crave" that which it needs most.  For example, when you need minerals, your body actually "craves" things which provide you with those minerals - such as salt!  The spirit of man is similarly created to "crave" that which satisfies the inner longings of a searching heart.  

Looking at how he leads up to this passage about hungering for that which really satisfies the inner man, he reminds the disciples about weakness.  I think this is because weakness is an innate part of hunger - it is the evidence of need.  Until we recognize our need, we don't stop to be fed.  Until the disciples sat down, they weren't in a position to really feast upon what Jesus would provide.  I think the same is true for us - hunger drives us to his feet, but intensity of need (weakness) compels us to actually sit down long enough to take in what we have need of.  Did you ever stop to consider the root word of hunger?  It carries the meaning of being "dry" or "burning" with need.  Hunger is a place of dryness.  There is a burning for something more.  In this respect, it brings us to the place of filling.  Maybe this is why Jesus sandwiched this right between being empty, at a sense of loss, and ready to be filled with what really matters and the next truths:

⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for." - When we are filled, we have something to give out - fullness actually produces something for others.

⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world." - In being filled "inside", there is something evident "outside".

⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family." - There is just something about gathering around the place of nourishment, sharing a good meal with others, isn't there?  In those moments, something happens - the doors open to communication, intimate exchanges occur.  The place of filling actually becomes a place of exchange.

¹⁰ “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom." - You may not want what you are fed, but in learning to appreciate the provision you receive, you learn to see it as the bounty which will sustain you.

Hunger is a powerful thing - being in a position to be filled with what really satisfies is a matter of settling in for the feast.  Hunger gets you to the table, but emptiness and weakness gets you to sit down long enough to be filled.  Just sayin!

Space - it is necessary!

Breathing Room:  The "space" we create whenever we don't fully occupy every iota of "space" in our lives with stuff!  This is as close to the definition as I could come to - something which I heard my pastor preach this last weekend. As I have returned from vacation, one thing really means a lot to me whenever I can enjoy these times away - they create some "breathing room" in my life.  As I have already shared in past blogs, the time away is really to refresh, renew, and regain what the tough schedule of work and family can take out of me.  In returning home though, I was met with a couple of tragic events right here in my immediate neighborhood.  I learned of the tragic taking of the life of my neighbor's 23-year old son and the sudden death of my other neighbor across the way.  As I heard of these events, the tragedy of a young man taking his own life and the tragic end of a "closet alcoholic's" life, it made me think about the importance of "breathing room" all over again.

God, listen to me shout, bend an ear to my prayer.  When I’m far from anywhere, down to my last gasp, I call out, “Guide me up High Rock Mountain!”  You’ve always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all, a lifetime pass to your safe-house, an open invitation as your guest.  You’ve always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love you.  (Psalm 61:1-5 MSG)

I think there are times when we don't realize just how little "breathing room" we give ourselves.  We pack in emotional turmoil until it bubbles to the surface, almost volcanic in its capacity, until one day we just cannot take it anymore.  No space exists for anything else - especially not hope.  We fill every empty space in our lives with things which will distract and numb whatever once filled those spaces.  No space exists for the things which matter most - relationship, love, and security.  The danger in "filling" without taking a close look at what is "filling" the space is we often don't realize the destructiveness of what fills the space!

Here's the real tragedy in these two events - on the surface everything looked as it should be.  The young man was successful, doing well in school, top of his graduating class, good job, nice car, all the electronic devices young people thrive on.  The single man and his dog - nice home, all the toys a man could want - camper, nice truck, fishing boat, big screen TV.  On the surface, all looked well.  Deep inside - not so much!  

I hope you will hear the intent of my heart today - no one should be without some "breathing room" in their lives and there is no other place to find or create it than at the feet of Jesus!  All the rest will only provide a miserable substitute for that which he provides with his presence, power, and purpose fully occupying the space it is intended to occupy within our lives.  There is no "breathing room" like that which God provides when he enters into the "space" of our lives.  It almost seems contradictory - something enters space and actually gives us more space?  Yep, when his love and grace enter the "space" of our lives, the stuff which only paints a picture of security, happiness, and purpose begins to fall away - creating more space for the stuff which really does matter.  

As David says in this passage, God will always be the one to give us "breathing room".  He is a place to get away from it all.  In this, we should find comfort for our weary souls and healing for our wounded emotions.  We cannot live at the pace we keep without reaping the consequences of the unending demands.  We cannot fill every crevice of space in our daily routine and expect to "find time" for God.  He must be our priority - for when he is, all the "space" we need really seems to get set in order in our lives.  It seems contrary to practical knowledge - it is!  Give him more space and he will actually "create" space (breathing room) in our lives!

Remember the families of those I have mentioned here today.  They will need God's comfort in the healing process.  Most importantly, examine your own lives today.  Do you need some breathing room?  Are you living to the limits? Are you merely "fronting" an experience of happiness and contentment in life? In getting real, taking down the "fronts" and asking God to put a "right order" to the things in your life, you will find the "space" he gives will actually fulfill more than you ever imagined!  Just sayin!

Fullness in the emptiest of places

I came across a quote the other day which kind of made me take a moment to contemplate what the author must have meant when the words were penned. The origin of the quote is unknown, but it states, "Life is like a flute.  It may have many holes and emptiness, but if you work on it carefully, it can play magical melodies."  I would like to point out it is not the work "I" do on my life which produces the melodies which are pleasing to the hearer, but the works "GOD" does in my life!  He is the only one capable of bringing melodies out of our empty places, not by "plugging the holes", but by covering them with his grace and love.  

I will always show you where to go.  I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—firm muscles, strong bones. (Isaiah 58:11 MSG)

To be fair, I cannot pick this passage out of Isaiah to stand all by itself without giving you the preceding couple of verses.  They outline some "conditions" God outlines for our right living.  Here is the "rest of the story", as Paul Harvey would have said:  "If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight." (vs. 9-10 MSG)  How is it God will always show us where to go - when we begin to walk in the way he has called us to live.

Unfair practices have no place in a Christian's life.  You could call these anything which "place a yoke" upon another.  In other words, you place another in bondage to do or be what you want them to be by what you demand of t hem.  I think God was aiming at the idea of placing demands upon others we would never place upon ourselves.  As a child, I would often think someone got to go first in line, had he biggest piece of cake, or simply got to swing first, all the while thinking how "unfair" life was!  Isn't it amazing how we "judge" the fairness of life by the standards of who goes first, gets the most, or has the best ride?  I think this passage deals with matters a little bit deeper than who got the biggest piece of cake, though.  It deals with the attitude of heart which places another under obligation - holds another in a place of being oppressed.  The instruction to us is to get rid of the unfair practices - to stop placing demands upon others and to start living above the demands others have placed upon us.  We are to live free - serving but one master - and he doesn't place a yoke which oppresses!

Blaming victims?  What on earth could this mean?  Well, I think it might deal with the tendency we have to tell someone "I told you so".  It is easy to see we might even do this with ourselves on occasion.  When blame victims for what happens to them, we might just be placing them under a yoke of burden they were never intended to bear.  Pointing the finger is an easy thing to do - realizing the remainder of the fingers are actually point back at us is much harder!  The old adage "it takes one to know one" might just apply here.  We are not in a position to judge the hearts of another - we can see their actions and even observe their emotion, but we cannot judge their hearts.  Only God can do this.  Whenever we try to even judge our own heart, we fail - because no one knows our heart as well as God.

Gossip is an action which is dealt with multiple times in scripture - more than most of us would like to admit.  Looking at the progression of what Isaiah has penned here, we can see he is dealing not so much with the actions or deeds of another done toward us, but the actions and attitudes of our heart done against another.  It is an easy thing to gossip about another's short-comings. It is quite another to allow those short-comings in another to begin to unveil the same short-comings in us!  When we stop talking ABOUT another, and start praying FOR another, we might just realize how closely our own actions and attitude mimic those we would most like to criticize in the other!

Instead of unfair practices, blaming victims and gossiping about the sins of another, we are instructed to begin to "give into" the lives of others.  The first three actions "take away from" the lives of another - the instruction to live generously, not only in terms of our material stuff, but in terms of the expenditure of our lives, actually "gives into" the life of another.  Isaiah is pointing out the difference between justice and injustice.  One builds up - gives into - another's life.  The other takes away - tears down.  We are called to be "builders" - to live in a way which exemplifies the generosity of a great God who has redeemed us with the most valuable of things he possessed - his Son.  In this way, the tides are changed in the lives of the oppressed and the victims - and we play an active part in the changing of this tide!

The end result of this "shift" in our way of responding is an ability to shine in darkness.  Instead of creating darkness, we actually allow light to be shed where only darkness once dwelt.  This brings us to our highlighted passage - being filled to overflowing in even the emptiest of places.  If you have ever wondered how it was someone could face the most horrific pain, endure the greatest loss of their life, or face terror with boldness, it was probably because they had this type of "grounding" in their lives.  God is the only one able to give us a full life in the emptiest of places.  We all will face some of these "expanses" in the course of living on this earth - places where the emptiness becomes so apparent it hurts.  In those moments, God brings fullness.  God is a God of the opposites.  He sees hurt and gives healing.  He hears defeat and gives courage.  He encounters emptiness and fills the space with his presence.

I don't know about you, but emptiness is a challenge for me.  If you look closely, you will find I have tried to mask those empty places in my life - but no amount of "masking" will ever bring fullness out of emptiness!  It is only when I reveal my emptiness that I am able to have it filled to overflowing!  How about you?  Need to remove some "masking" from your empty places today?  It might just take some getting used to, but when you are willing to live without the mask, the emptiness has a tendency to get filled with the best of stuff!  Just sayin!

Empty jugs

The story begins this morning with a widow woman facing a debt she cannot repay.  She is worried that she will lose her two sons - simply because they would become the "means" of repaying her debt as they would become the slaves to the debtor if she could not repay the debt.  Her husband has been a prophet - a godly man.  I imagine she wonders why this catastrophe is upon her since she likely has lived pretty close to this guild of prophets and their "set apart" lifestyle for a good many years.  She comes to Elisha - one of the major prophets of the Old Testament - seeking his help.  She implores him to consider her plight.  In response, he begins to wonder what he might be able to do to assist.  In those days, prophets were rarely wealthy men or women - they lived by the standards of the day, occupying their time with the normal pursuits of the day such as farming, tending the animals, working with clay or wood, etc.  But...today, I want us to focus on his answer to this woman and the importance of her response.

Elisha said, “I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?”  “Nothing,” she said. “Well, I do have a little oil.”  (2 Kings 4:2 MSG)

I think Elisha may have seen the situation as an opportunity - the woman was seeing it as an impossibility.  He asks what she has - she declares what she doesn't have!  Isn't that just like us?  We are so quick to discount what we possess because we see it as insignificant in comparison to the "demands" being made upon us.  Why do we gravitate to the "little" instead of seeing the "much" in our circumstances, talents, or abilities?  I think there is something we might all need a little reminding about - we serve the God of "much" not the "little".

So, the story goes on to tell us about the woman being instructed to collect every available bottle, jar and pot from the town.  She goes about collecting these, stacking them up in her home, until every last "empty" one is in her possession.  Now, this may not seem like much at first, but do you see something occurring in this activity on her part?  She is not sure "what" will happen, she just knows if she brings everything which has been declared "empty" into the presence of God, the "empties" are right where they need to be!  

We often don't bring our "empties" to God's presence - because we see them as "empty" - something which contains nothing of importance.  Yet, when you really stop to consider this situation, you will realize without an "empty", God has nothing to "fill"!  So, the next time you tell yourself you are just an "empty" in some regard, you are just really saying to God, "I have a little space you can fill up!"  

In bringing these empty jars to Elisha, the little she had became so much more than she needed to satisfy the debt owed by her husband.  In fact, she is able to live on what's left.  God not only filled the "empties" with enough to provide for today's need, he filled enough "empties" to provide for the future needs, as well.  The thing is, when we are willing to give our "little" into his care, taking steps to bring what has been emptied out into his presence, we find he fills beyond our capacity to contain!

I often hear people saying stuff like "Oh, I never could do that" or "I just don't have what it takes".  The truth be told, neither did Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, Joyce Meyers, or Charles Stanley (to name only a few).  The thing each had in common was more than the emptiness that needed to be filled - they also brought the "little" they had into the presence of God and in turn, he filled.  The empty parts of each of us are exactly what God needs.  It is in the emptying we become ready to be filled.  

My hope for you today - you will stop telling yourself the "little" you have is not enough in God's hands.  For it is in the bringing of the "little" into his presence where we see the impossibilities become possibilities.  Just sayin!

You sound hollow!

Did you ever stop to consider why some things are created "hollow"?  Indulge me for a moment, please.  When something is hollow, it could be said to be empty, right?  It has capacity inside which is just not filled up yet?  Something extremely hollow, such as a deep hole in the ground, lacks resonance - we can throw a stone in it, but we may never hear it hit bottom - there is no "return" of sound to confirm the vastness of the hollowness.  Some things are purposefully created hollow - such as a water pitcher, or the kitchen sink.  They have a purpose in the way they were created, right?  Guess what? So do we!

Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.  (2 Corinthians 4:5 MSG)  

We are created with a "hollow" deep within where God's Spirit is intended to fill us up.  When this "hollow" is filled with anything other than his Spirit, the hollow may be "filled" but it often leaves us unsatisfied.  Think about the kitchen sink for a moment.  If it were filled with greasy, cold water, just how well could it accomplish its purpose of cleaning our dishes when we placed them in it?  It is filled, isn't it?  Yet, it is filled with something which is not going to allow it to fulfill its ultimate purpose - the hollow is consumed with something useless to us at the moment.  

Think about the gourd which dries out.  A hollow is created in the drying process - in hopes it will produce a nice little maraca to shake.  If we went to shake the maraca and only heard one small seed moving around in the hollow of the gourd, we'd probably say it was worthless to produce the music we desired to hear.  The gourd looked like a maraca, but what was on the inside determined its value to the musician!

Now, think about the "hollow" in our lives.  We might fill it with all kinds of other "stuff" - things which fill our time, but leave us feeling like there was nothing of value produced in the end.  We might find ourselves filled up, but just not able to accomplish what God intends for our lives.  The hollow is meant to be filled - but how it is filled is more important than it being filled!

Paul writes to the Corinthian church, reminding them of the message brought to them by his ministry team.  You might see the passage this way:

Our message is not about ourselves - our "hollow" has been filled with the hope of Christ.  We are only "hollow" messengers who have been filled up!  We are filled up with light - once there was only darkness - but now, we are filled to overflowing with light!

Oh, lest you think I am rewriting the scriptures and you get all twitter-pated over me taking this liberty, let me just have this liberty, will you?  God creates us with a "hollow" - on purpose!  Our "hollow" was not an oversight on his part, or because we did something wrong.  It is there for a purpose.  It is much like the glass blower who creates the pitcher with a hollow core - designed to be filled with refreshing substance.  It is like the kitchen sink maker, who designs the sink to be a place for the cleansing of that which comes into contact with its "hollow" when it is filled to the brim!

We have a "hollow" - but have we allowed to fill the space?  Are we like the gourds, dried out, but just not producing any real music from our lives?  Are we like the kitchen sink - filled, but stagnant?  Are we like the water pitcher, hollowed out and shiny - empty on a shelf, only to be admired for what it is "capable" of doing, but never really fulfilling the purpose for which it was created?  Or are we allowing God to "fill" the hollow of our core with the goodness of his grace, the integrity of his love, and the joy of his peace?  If so, we are likely "giving out" what it is which fills our hollow!  For those filled with the good things of God's Spirit find the hollow constantly filled to capacity and overflowing!  

Maybe it is time to examine the "hollow" of our hearts.  We might just find we have allowed some stuff into the hollow designed to be filled ONLY by God himself.  If so, the hollow is not fulfilling its purpose - it is just filled.  Sometimes the best thing we can do is to "empty out" the hollow and allow God to fill it with the good things he intends!  Just sayin!

On Empty

I call out at the top of my lungs, "God! Answer! I'll do whatever you say." 
   I called to you, "Save me so I can carry out all your instructions." 
   I was up before sunrise, crying for help, hoping for a word from you. 
   I stayed awake all night, prayerfully pondering your promise. 
   In your love, listen to me; in your justice, God, keep me alive. 

(Psalm 119:145-149 The Message)

Desperation is condition in which hope has faded - - there is a sense of hopelessness, a sense of just wanting to give up.  These are the times when we are often heard just crying out to God, "Hey, are you listening here???"  It is our "God! Answer!"  There are times I think God has allowed me to get to the place of "God! Answer! I am pretty desperate here!"  Yep, you read that right - - he allowed it!  He put me in a place where I came smack-dab face-to-face with the inability of my own talent, inadequacy of my own strength, or insufficiency of my own resources in order that he might become my all-in-all.

Up before sunrise, awake into the wee hours of the night, crying for God to listen to our plight.  A "plight" is often viewed as anything we interpret as an "unfavorable" state.  It could be a relationship that has tanked, financial situation revealing a negative balance more frequently than a positive, or some emotional struggle within which we find ourselves more often than not.

Did you realize that there is a secondary meaning to "plight"?  It is an old world term used to describe the pledging of oneself with the intention of the pledge being as binding as a contract.  When we are calling out to God with our "God! Answer!" cries, we are often referring to the "bond" we have with him without even knowing it!  We are relying on the "contract"!  Not a literal piece of paper that binds two parties, but the bond that exists because God first loved us, sought us out as his own, and then entered into a relationship of "permanence" with us.

The relationship may become a little "devoid" of all the "spark" once in a while, but nonetheless, his commitment to us is as permanent as his Word.  Nothing can sever us from his constant care.  If a "void" exists, it is our doing, not his.  Empty spaces create a sense of emptiness - - emptiness is the basis of a lack of hope (desperation).  Whenever we create a "culture" within our relationships which allows for "empty spaces", we are open to the feelings of hopelessness that follow.

God's desire for us in our relationship with him is a lack of empty spaces!  He wants to fill us to overflowing - - leaving no space for any sense of doubt, frustration, worry, or fear to enter in.  His desire for us in our "human" relationships is this same lack of empty spaces!  We need to be attentive to those things we allow to create emptiness within our lives.  It takes only one moved pebble in a rainstorm to begin to cut the course for a raging river!

If you find yourself feeling a little "empty" today - - it is likely you are sensing it in the one relationship which will sustain you the most - - the one you have with Jesus.  In your emptiness, don't cry out for deliverance!  Cry out for filling.  It is in the filling of the empty spaces that our despair will be dealt its  final blow!