Appetite or Hunger?

God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. (Psalm 23:1-3)

I don't need a thing - how many of us can speak those words with our heart bearing full and total agreement with them? Most of us will give lip service to the idea, but deep down inside we desire things we don't have, look for ways to acquire what we think we 'need', and are always on the search for 'more' of something, aren't we? Our desires stem from what we feed the most - it creates an appetite within us for what we desire. If you had never tasted chocolate in your lifetime, you likely don't have any type of craving for it. Indulge yourself with a couple of pieces of rich chocolate and that 'taste' will create a desire for more. Why? Appetite has more to do with our thinking than it does the need to correct an imbalance of some vital nutrient within our bodies. Hunger is purely 'biological' - we need to raise our blood glucose, so we feel the pangs of hunger to replenish that necessary resource. Appetite is actually our 'relationship' with what we take in - we form habits based upon our appetite.

What do you find 'pleasure' in these days? As I entered into retirement, I thought I would miss the hustle and bustle of a daily work life. Actually, quite the opposite is true. I have come to enjoy not making plans for my day - just rising, observing the weather, feeling the desires I may have to create something new, and then heading out to the workshop for a little 'wood fun'. I also enjoy the spontaneous text from my BFF that asks if I want to go with her to the store, explore the thrift shops, or go over to her sister's house for a bite to eat. There is something different in the 'pleasures' I experience in retirement than there were during my working years. Have my desires changed? You might think so, but those desires have always been there. I have always wanted to create with my hands - so workshop time has always been a craving. I have always desired to find a good bargain - so thrift shop trolling is a fun pastime for me. I just have the time to do these things more frequently now - not having to cram them all into one weekend!

If you feed the desires God places deep within your soul - mind, will, and emotions - you will find your desires grow (your appetite changes to desire more of those things). Feed your body fruits and veggies often enough and you will actually crave them. Feed it cookies, donuts, and salty snacks and see how those cravings begin to direct your food choices when hungry. Feed your spirit the Word of God and you will begin to understand its content. Feed your spirit with times of worship and praise and your desire to spend time with Jesus just might increase. You are what you eat - we have probably all heard that one before. If what we 'take in' the most often is what we desire the most (becoming what makes up our appetites), then it stands to reason that if we feed upon the Word, spend time worshiping at his feet, and actually begin to pour out our thoughts and desires before him, those desires just might change for the better! Just sayin!

You thirsty?

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (John 7:38)

Today, we find Jesus unfazed by the opposition of the religious leaders of the day - teaching in the Temple, as was his custom. The religious leaders are appalled at how much of the Law Jesus knows and how well he explains it. In fact, they are engaged in a heavy discussion about where he received his "credentials" to preach when Jesus responds to their curiosity with a simple statement: "I didn’t make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn’t it, who gave you God’s Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?” (vs. 16-19) All this "banter" between the religious leaders and Jesus begins to get some in the crowd talking about Jesus' "origin" and his "ability" to be "in ministry" without any "formal teaching". Doesn't it just seem like the crowd always has to include some who will question the validity or motivation of anyone who is in public view?

Jesus is steadfast in his teaching - never wavering despite the continued and escalating opposition. The religious leaders are jealous of him receiving the following of the crowds - a powerful opponent to humility is the devil within we can each call pride! Yet, in all Jesus "endures" at the hand of the crowd of onlookers, there are those "in the crowd" who he knows are on the brink of hungering and thirsting for the reality of "God with them". To them, he begins to minister - "If ANYONE thirsts...." This is not likely an invitation to the religious, but to the seeking hearts who long for something more than set of rules to follow and a place to gather on "church day". Two things Jesus tells them: "Come to me" and "drink". Look at the little three-letter word which begins this invitation - "LET". Jesus is saying to the religious "righteous" - "allow, permit, grant access" to the thirsty - they need what I have to offer. It was as though he is saying to the rabble-rousers in the crowd, "Stop standing in their way and let them alone!" He recognizes the hungry within the crowd - those who desire more - not just the onlookers there because they wanted to be 'part of the group'. It is these seeking hearts he desires to touch. Jesus never sought to "convince" the religious "righteous" of his greatness - he just opened heaven to those who were willing to admit their own righteousness would never be enough to truly bring peace to their souls and right-thinking to their minds.

Come to me is the first invitation - permit these hungry among you to experience access to what it is they desire so desperately. Then he adds the instruction to allow them to drink - the place of refreshing awaited those who would draw near enough to experience the "flow" of his grace fully. Religious righteousness only makes people more "thirsty" for something that will truly satisfy - Jesus is simply offering himself. The filling-up of one's thirsty soul with the presence of Jesus is the only truly satisfying position the thirsty can find - for the rivers of grace flow freest and clearest the nearer we come to the source of the "water". Then he adds what becomes a message of hope to the thirsty within the crowd - "Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way". Dry to the bone, you will be refreshed beyond your capacity to "contain" or "hold" what is offered by the infilling of his grace! Rivers are not tiny streams that trickle along in some lazy way, following the path of the least resistance. Rivers have currents - they cut paths right through whatever stands in their way! Jesus tells us his grace has the power to cut paths where there is resistance - to overcome obstacles to refreshing and renewing.

He adds the rivers will "spill out". Ever "over-pour" a glass of soda? You know, you just did not expect it to overflow the top of the glass, pooling around the base of the glass and dribbling onto the floor. He is not talking about this kind of "fizz up" overflow here! In fact, he talks of it being a river that spills out - from the depths of one's being. Soda fizzes up and then the "overflow" dissipates, doesn't it? His "river of living water" is non-dissipating! It flows and flows and flows. Grace has no limits! Grace abounds - the more we need it, the more is spills out, but did you ever stop to consider that which spills out has to have filled the object in the first place? I don't know about you, but I want this kind of "overflow" in my life! I don't want an occasional "sprinkling" or "fizz up" of his presence, but the genuine flow of his grace constantly renewing me, cutting paths through the places of resistance in my life. How about you? Just askin!

You hungry?

Most of us want things to turn out 'all right' in life. We strive for this outcome - not really wanting to endure any type of failure at all. Why? Failure isn't comfortable - it costs us something - we don't always regroup after it very well. Have you ever been accused of taking life too seriously - of being 'too afraid' to fail? Guess what...when someone tells you that you take life seriously, they are actually paying you a high compliment! According to scripture, taking life seriously is something that will find you a great reward, significant honor, and integrity that stands the test of time. I have been told on more than one occasion that I am way too intense about life - I am not afraid to fail, but I like to think things through before I take that first step - making others think I am just a little bit scared of the next steps. I guess that it really doesn't bother me - in fact, rather than being put off by that insight, I want to continue to have that intensity without putting people off by it - I want to be cautious when I need to be and bold when it is time for me to take those steps God asks me to take.

It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in God.  (Proverbs 16:20)

Quiet reflection is often the "norm" for a believer who is given to "taking life seriously". They have those dedicated and consistent times of reflection - times to think things through and run them through the various "filters" they have been given by God's Spirit, the Word, and those times of prayerful consideration at the feet of Jesus. Sometimes people interpret this kind of "reflective" time as delaying a response, or not being concerned about what is going on in their life. It is most often that time we take to gather our thoughts, allowing God to give us the right answers to even the toughest of questions that help us make decisions in a more 'decided' fashion and with absolute certainty (faith).

God is in the business of examining motives. Whatever motivates us is the object or person that has captivated out attention and drives our actions. We are moved by that which maintains our focus the most. That's why God focuses on motives so much - getting at the heart of the matter in our daily choices means he can begin to point out to us where focus is in need of a little adjusting. He asks for serious reflection on what it is that "has our focus" - because it also has our heart. He desires to be the only one that has our heart - therefore, he examines our heart so frequently.

There is much to be gained in reflective times. In the intensity of life, there are times of refreshing that are needed. The path of the upright leads away from evil - they have learned to follow a different path. This is not because a Christian is perfect, but because their heart has been captivated by Christ, thereby affecting their focus and intent. This affected focus ends up impacting motives, and keeping us from wrong paths - those choices that would otherwise be made in the haste of the moment. Hunger drives us to the kitchen - desire drives us to prepare the meal - passion drives us to consume it for all the enjoyment we will derive from that meal. We need all three!

I wonder if we really know the value of what makes us "hungry" for more of God's grace, "desirous" of times alone in his presence, or "passionate" about giving all in service to him. This type of "intensity" doesn't happen accidentally - it is a choice made because of a hungry heart. Becoming what God desires begins with hunger. Hunger actually makes our focus more 'acute'. We may not recognize the value of our hunger until we begin to experience the desire for more of God! Just sayin!

I'm hungry again!

Jesus replied, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst." (John 6:35 TLB)

What makes you hungry? As I catch the fragrant aroma of baking cookies or fresh bread, I get hungry! Walk into the putrid smell of old pine cleaner in a musty bathroom and that appetite just takes a hit in the old nostrils! It is amazing how we can be so hungry one moment and then have that hunger almost turn to a sour stomach in such a short period of time. How it is that happens? In the natural sense, hunger is made up of many 'senses' - smell, taste, texture, not to mention hormones triggering the desire to eat, etc. We can realize tremendous hunger, and then there are times we can ignore that hunger to the point it becomes a devastating thing to our physical bodies. In a spiritual sense, it is possible to ignore hunger so long we just don't realize we are becoming malnourished!

Hunger is satisfied as we partake - plain and simple. We can "sense" all the goodness awaiting us, but until we partake of what has been graciously provided for us, there is no hope our hunger will ever provide nourishment for our souls and spirits. If we want to experience provision, we have to allow it to actually work into our lives as it is intended. I can stare at food on a plate for a long, long time (and I did as a young child when those veggies didn't look all that appealing to me). It doesn't change the "provision" on the plate. The moment I take in even the tiniest portion of the provision is when I begin to experience the benefit of the provision. 

Wouldn't it be silly to have a feast specially prepared for us and then stop right after the appetizer? Or just take one bite of each portion on the plate and say we have "experienced it all"? The feast would still be a feast - our desire to be "filled" might just not be there! God looks for us to have a desire to be continually filled, but he allows us to experience a little bit of this thing known as "hunger" because hunger can be a great driving force to bring us into the place of provision! 

God has provided beyond our wildest dreams - we just need to recognize that hunger he allows to develop within us is to be met with the provision he makes! We might want to find our own provisions from time to time, but I know some of the best meals I have experienced are those others have prepared for me with great love and dedication to get it "just right" for me. If others can do this for me in the natural sense, isn't it silly that I'd think God wouldn't do it on a ten-fold or a hundred-fold grander scheme? The hunger for righteousness isn't going to be filled at any other "table", my friend. It is meant to be filled at his table. Just sayin!

I am a little hungry - how about you?

Jesus: I am the bread that gives life. If you come to My table and eat, you will never go hungry. Believe in Me, and you will never go thirsty.  (John 6:35 VOICE)

One of my favorite things in life is a good loaf of crusty French or Sourdough bread - especially if it is hot from the oven and slathered in butter! It has been almost six months since I have "indulged" in such a treat because I made a conscious decision to watch what I allowed into my body. I have not gone on any radical diet or anything - just good choices and more reasonable portions. I still like bread and even long for it on occasion - but I haven't really given into that longing because I know once I get started, I will want more! That is kind of how it is with Jesus - get one good "taste" of his grace and you just keep going back for more!

I live in the desert, so you can understand why I appreciate a good drink of cold water. Yet, I have visited more exotic places, rich with island growth, and complete with humidity in the 80's or 90's! I think I wanted a good cold drink of water more in the humid portions of this world more than I did in the desert! Why? Maybe because my body was longing for refreshing - it was worn out by the humidity since it was not used to it. It is like a load had been placed on my body which I just found it hard to bear. I am a desert girl through and through, so any other type of climate that "taxes" my body like high humidity makes it kind of hard for me to get acclimated. In much the same way, the emotional weight this world wants to put on us will wear us down - it is hard to acclimate to carrying what it is we were never intended to carry!

Jesus tells his disciples that if they come, they must eat. It is not enough to know where the water is, or where it is we will find the grace we so desperately need. We must partake of it if we are to ever enjoy the satisfaction it can provide - not just once, but over and over again. We might be in the middle of a desert, smack-dab in the humid conditions of the jungle of life, or under a whole load of guilt and shame we didn't want in the first place - but Jesus is the place of refreshing, the one who lifts the load, and the only way we find the way to real freedom out of where it is we find ourselves. We cannot long for anything "better" or more "fulfilling" than his grace and love - it is just impossible for anything else to actually replace either of these.

We may not always feel like eating or drinking, but the truth of the matter is that the human body was made to do both - without either of these, we begin to "waste". Our bodies begin to consume themselves - we deplete the storehouse of energy our body maintains. We often go a long, long time without connecting with Jesus at the table of his grace - much longer than we ever should. It may not be until we actually feel ourselves emotionally or spiritually "wasting" that we realize we haven't "eaten" in a while! When we do realize it - it is time to sit down at the table and just eat/drink it all in. Just sayin!

The Crown

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."  (C. S. Lewis)  I have frequently commented about each of us having an "aim" or "purpose" in this life - without one we are kind of set adrift without any real destination in mind. As Lewis said, when our aim is correct, we realize blessings beyond our imagining - when it is limited by what we can see in the natural sense, we might just not ever be able to enjoy all the things God wants us to experience. If I were to ask you what God wants you to experience today, what might you answer? If you could not really answer that, or you gave some "cookbook" kind of answer, you might just want to take a few moments to reconsider your aim - maybe it isn't high enough!

We all know that when there’s a race, all the runners bolt for the finish line, but only one will take the prize. When you run, run for the prize! Athletes in training are very strict with themselves, exercising self-control over desires, and for what? For a wreath that soon withers or is crushed or simply forgotten. That is not our race. We run for the crown that we will wear for eternity.  So I don’t run aimlessly. I don’t let my eyes drift off the finish line. When I box, I don’t throw punches in the air. I discipline my body and make it my slave so that after all this, after I have brought the gospel to others, I will still be qualified to win the prize. (I Corinthians 9:24-27 VOICE)

Are you a runner who bolts for the finish line, eager to get there, one prize in mind? I used to be that way - kind of headstrong and determined to get things done. I am not so much that way any longer - sometimes I need to step back and take in what is happening around me more than I need to make it across whatever "finish line" I have imposed. Far too many of us have our eyes set on earthly goals, all the while neglecting or forgetting the heavenly goals God has for each of us. Yes, God wants us to have an aim, but I don't think he wants these earthly aims to consume us to the point we neglect relationship with him or others. The most profound portion of this passage is the very last statement: "I will still be qualified to win the prize." In running, we can attain all kinds of prizes along the way. In making it across the finish line, we can win but one prize - the prize of having crossed the end point well.  

Unlike earthly races in which one wins and all others just "place" somewhere in the list of those who "finish", all of us will cross the finish line with Christ - all of us "winners" of the crown. As we run, our focus determines our drive - without a focus for the right goal, we can find ourselves stopping short of where God wants us to be. Lewis also said, " If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."  What is it that causes you to hunger or thirst? If it is something that things in this world can satisfy, might I suggest your hunger (and mine) is just not created by the right focus or aim.  When we find satisfaction in the things of this world, we are limiting the supreme satisfaction which God has prepared for us in his! Just sayin!

Emotionally Starved

Have you ever stopped to consider just how emotionally "starved" we are as a society?  In most relationships, there is such a tremendous amount of emotional "hunger" which goes totally unmet because we don't take the time to meet the need, we fail to recognize the need exists, or we just simply spend more time looking at our own need.  Starvation is simply the feeling of a strong need or desire.  When our emotional needs go unmet long enough, we begin to feel a little "starved".  Sometimes we use other means to satisfy a genuine emotional hunger than what will really satisfy the hunger.  It may be we turn to the pursuit of some pleasure - but the pleasure only lasts for a while and then we are back to the hunger again.  It may be we pursue something we can possess - such as a new car, new home, or the like - but in time, the "newness" and pleasure produced in the acquisition just leaves us all hungry again.  No pursuit of pleasure, possession or even profession can help really satisfy the hunger emotionally - it just dulls it for a season.  In just a short course of time, we go from being "emotionally high" to being on the "emotional low" all over again.  We need to figure out what really satisfies the hunger within and then get after that, not just flit from this or that pursuit with the "hope" it might meet our emotional hunger.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.  (Matthew 5:6 NIV)

It should come as no surprise to you that your hunger and thirst, two very powerful "motivators" within, were actually created by God.  It was not by accident we were given these "emotional drivers" - they are to serve a purpose.  There is physical hunger and thirst, which motivates us to seek out food and drink - in order to replenish our physical bodies.  There is emotional hunger, which motivates us to reach out to another.  There is spiritual hunger, which motivates us toward worship, praise and prayer.  All types of hunger exist - as do all types of thirst.  Two motivators - multiple reasons for them. What trips us more often than not is not recognizing the "type" of hunger or thirst we are experiencing.  When we fail to recognize what is really making us hungry, we pursue the wrong stuff to "fill us up"!

When God created hunger and thirst, he had in mind the "increasing of capacity".  Hunger and thirst take us from an "empty" status toward a "full" status, don't they?  These two motivators are then designed to increase our capacity for "more".  This is what makes these two motivators so dangerous - especially when we don't get them figured out very well and pursue the wrong kind of stuff to fill us up!  As we well know, satisfaction is sometimes just beyond our reach.  Now, for some of us, we think this is a little cruel.  After all, why would God create us with emotional motivators like this which are just outside of our reach in getting them fulfilled.  Maybe it is to cause our capacity to be increased!  Did you ever stop to think about it that way before? When we attempt to satisfy those emotional desires with something which will "be a close second" to what we really desire and need, it never increases our capacity - in fact, it diminishes it!  Whatever doesn't drive us to increase will eventually cause us to shrink in our capacity!

Anytime we "settle" for something outside of God's best for us, we are falling just short of the thing he has prepared specifically for us.  Let that one settle in a little, friends.  We "settle" in life a lot - spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  In relationships, in life-choices, and in investment of the things we value the most like time, talent and our treasures.  It is this idea of "settling" which brings "second-best" into view.  I don't know about you, but I had to get to a place where I was thoroughly disgusted with "second-best" in my life!  In reaching that spot, God was able to take the desires of hunger and thirst to a new level.  It is often just barely out of reach until we begin to resist the urge to satisfy our hunger and thirst with anything short of what God has in store for us.  

Satisfying our hunger and thirst with anything less than what God intends causes us such emotional upheaval, does it not?  Why do we still pursue these things?  Maybe because we just haven't developed a "trust" in the purpose for our hunger and thirst.  We don't "trust" the hunger and thirst to drive us toward the right stuff - so we settle for what we figure will be a good substitute.  Anything less than God's best for us will always be a poor substitute - as hard as we try, nothing quite satisfies like the things he has prepared ahead of time for us.  All he is waiting for in bringing those things into our lives is for our capacity to be increased a little.  Instead of getting the "quick fix" the next time, maybe we'd do well to ask God to give us the capacity to handle what he has prepared for us!  Just sayin!

Napping is bad for your health!

Ever feel like you have a "personal enemy" just lurking at your back?  You know, that eerie feeling that you just cannot escape some sense of doom and gloom that hangs heavy over your head?  Yep, we all go through that on occasion - no matter how "spiritual" we are!  Guess what - we DO have a personal enemy - he is called Satan.  His mission in life is to make our life miserable as much as possible - especially if we have committed to living by the principles laid out in scripture and entered into the grace God extends through the life of Christ.  He makes it his point to muster his forces to attempt to dissuade us from that pursuit.  Here's the good news - you'd not be the object of his attacks if you weren't living the way Jesus wants you to!

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.  (I Peter 5:8-11 MSG)

So, in the midst of realizing we have a personal enemy, here's what scripture tells us - keep a cool head!  Don't get overwhelmed by the attack - but see it for what it is!  It is a cleverly manipulated scheme designed to get us off track with Jesus - plain and simple!  Something you may not have considered is the attacks from our "personal enemy" will not stop!  They may lessen from time to time, but they don't stop.  Why?  He wants company in eternity!

Four things come to mind as excellent opportunities for our "personal enemy" to overwhelm us - those times or seasons in our lives when it makes it just a little easier for him to get an inroad into our lives.  What are they?  The times when we are hungry, lonely, angry, or tired.  

- Hungry for the wrong stuff.  Our "personal enemy" plays on our emotions - he wants us to develop wrong appetites in life.  Not so much for the foods we eat, but for the stuff which will whittle away our time, sap us of our energies, and the like.  He wants us to misdirect our attentions to those things which really don't amount to much in the end.  If he can get our eyes off of Jesus and onto ANYTHING or ANYONE else, he has succeeded in taking us from a place of being satisfied in Jesus and being hungry for something else instead.

- Lonely seasons are the toughest seasons to navigate through.  Why?  Isolated people make good targets.  If you have ever watched the nature shows, you know the lion doesn't hunt the herd, he hunts the one who stands apart, who wanders out into the open.  This is a hunting tactic used by those who take their prey from the beginning of time.  If you think Satan is any different in his "hunting" tactics, he isn't!  He looks for the isolated because they make easy prey.  The work of separating them from the herd is already done!  So, to counter this attack, we need to be aware of our surroundings - know when we are getting on the fringes of the "herd" and in danger of pulling away from those who actually act to keep us in a place of safety.

- Anger is probably one of our toughest struggles in life - it is an emotion which is hard to understand sometimes.  We don't always "break down" our anger to see what is at the root of it, so it keeps emerging when we least expect it.  The result of anger is further relationship breakdown, the result of the further breakdown is the chance for isolation, or at least being surrounded by a crowd who may not help you be hungry for the right things!  The sad part of anger is its destructiveness - not just of others - but of us.  It eats at us until it forms a cavernous "ulceration" which just bleeds and festers all the time.  So, if our enemy can get us focused on what we see as something we might just want to get a bit miffed about from time to time, he gets us working on the responses which lead us to form more frequent bouts of anger.  It is cyclic.  If he can get us angry with God - he scores extra points on that one!

- Weariness or being continuously tired is probably the hardest one of these to counter.  You see, our personal enemy begins with our focus.  If he gets us distracted, he can get us to wander a bit.  If he gets us wandering outside of protection in our lives, he can get us to feeling isolated and isolated people find it easier to get angry when things don't go their way in life.  Distracted, isolated, and angry people don't rest well!  In fact, we drive harder, trying to outdo ourselves and others - eventually succumbing to the fatigue which acts as a shadow or cloud over our lives.  The fatigue makes us vulnerable to attack!  See it for what it is - his tool to make it easier for him to take us down!

I don't know about you, but recognizing what it is our "personal enemy" may be up to in our lives seems like a good idea to me.  If you know the plan of attack ahead of time, you can counter the attack.  Just sayin!

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!

Move through to move beyond

Enough:  adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire.   Desire:  a longing or craving for something which brings satisfaction or enjoyment.  Have you been so desperate for something that absolutely nothing else enters your mind?  You just cannot turn your attention from whatever it is you long for, craving it with such intensity, nothing else will satisfy.  Wouldn't it be awesome if you could honestly say this about God?  He - the object of your longing or craving - would be the center of your focus so much that nothing else would satisfy!  I wonder how we get to the place where God becomes the object of our desire more than anything else in this world?

God—you’re my God!  I can’t get enough of you!  I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.  (Psalm 63:1 MSG)

David tells us the secret.  It comes in "working up a hunger and thirst for God".  Where is this hunger and thirst "worked up"?  Ummm...I warn you...you may want to stop reading now!  The hunger and thirst which brings God central in our lives comes in the "traveling across dry and weary deserts".  In the "dry" and "weary" places of life, desire is built - not for the "little bits" of God's presence, but for the "sufficiency" of his presence!

Now, since you have not stopped reading, let's look a little deeper at what David is saying, shall we?  It is in "movement" we find our hunger and thirst built - not in our stagnancy.  David points out it is as we are "travelling across" the dry or weary place we build a hunger and thirst.  Some of us get into the dry or weary place and just take up residence there!  No wonder we don't have our hearts changed!  We "wallow" instead of "travelling through".  Do you know what it means to wallow?  It means to roll in the dirt in hopes we will find refreshment!  Now, how silly is that?  If we were rhinoceros we might actually benefit from the "dirt bath", but dirt just doesn't have the same effect for us!  In fact, it clogs our pores, brings nasty zits which annoy and leave us pocked, and then it gives us a pretty rank smell!  So, I don't recommend "wallowing".  

Probably the definition of "wallowing" which comes closest to what I am think we do when we get into the dry and weary places is to move along, but with such clumsiness and slowness as to reflect our awkwardness with the place we find ourselves in.  We "move", but it is with no real purpose, no intensity. We just "flounder about" in our dryness.  David says we don't work up a thirst unless we are travelling "across".  In other words, from one side to the other! There is a destination in mind - out of the middle of the muddle we are in!  The only way to get out of the mess is to get to the other side of it!

It is in moving across we find the place of moving beyond.  But...to get across, we have to experience a lot along the way.  The dry place is often characterized by the "absence" of something.  We lack something which we need.  The absence builds or intensifies as we begin to "move across" in order to get "beyond".  If you have ever been thirsty, you might just have begun to sense the dryness of your lips, the pastiness of your tongue, or the like.  If you don't address the thirst, what happens?  The intensity of the thirst grows, doesn't it?  The awareness of the absence of the fluid your body craves begins to grow.  In travelling across the dry places in our lives, the intensity of what our spirit craves is growing.  We thirst for that which truly fulfills - not just a tiny taste, but the total immersion!

The movement is key - nothing intensifies thirst or hunger more than "using up" the resources we have at our disposal.  Sometimes God leads us into the dry or weary place to show us how little our "enough" really is!  He allows us to "use up" what resources we have in "reserve" within in order to show us how much more we really need!  The dry places make us aware of our little and his much!  So, rather than focus on the "place" we find ourselves, let's begin to focus on what we will discover in our movement to the "beyond" of this place!  In our movement, I know our hunger and thirst will be intensified, but it is in the discovery of how much we actually hunger and thirst that we come to the place of being opened to receive "more"!  Just sayin!

Hungry? Starving? or Ravenous?

My soul is starved and hungry, ravenous!—

insatiable for your nourishing commands. 

(Psalm 119:20 The Message)

Most of us have never really experienced starvation or intense hunger in the physical sense.  Yes, we might have missed a meal or two, but the intensity of being "under-nourished" for weeks on end is something we rarely experience in most developed societies today.  In fact, what we call "hunger" is simply a "reminder" from our brain that regular intake is required!

To be hungry means that we have a desire or craving for intake.  To be starved takes it one notch up - it carries the idea of being on the verge of perishing from being under-nourished.  The idea of being ravenous speaks of intensity - to be intensely eager to be satisfied.  Now, let's break that down a little.  

David lays out three different "states" of soul condition here.  The first is the simple "niggling" within our mind, will, and emotions that we need some "intake" that is going to bring some satisfaction of a desire or craving.  It is the first-line response of our inner being that says something is amiss, or needs attention.  The second is the direct result of ignoring that "niggling" long enough, with such frequency, resulting in a severity of "soul-condition".

The third is suggestive of a condition that we don't come to very often, but when we do, there is a drive behind it that will not let up until there is satisfaction.  Being ravenous "demands" satisfaction - it seeks until what is desired is found.  I think God really honors all three "conditions" of the soul - hunger, starvation, and being ravenous.  

He is probably a little discouraged with the times when we drift into a place of being malnourished.  Yet, he meets us at the end of that road and provides the spiritual sustenance we need to get us back on track.  I think he is most pleased when our response to him is of a ravenous nature!  When there is an intensity in our seeking, he is honored greatly!

It is this state of being intensely focused on God's direction, his will, that brings him such delight.  Yet, David lays out a fourth word to describe the "hunger" God honors - being insatiable.  I think of this as a "bottomless pit" kind of hunger that we sometimes see when watching teenage boys!  No matter how much they consume - there is a desire for more! 

This type of hunger is voracious - devouring what God gives in order to "fill the pit" of hunger that exists when we are apart from him for any time at all.  If you have ever been consistent in "giving up" something for a period of time, when you first begin to "take in" that food again, you sometimes feel like you cannot get enough.  This is the condition of soul that David found himself in at various periods of his life - sinning against God, walking out of God's plan for him, then returning repentant and ravenous!

I daresay, we probably walk much the same way.  Some days we do a very good job of staying connected to the source of our "nourishment" - others, we don't seem to notice how long it has been since we have "fed" on what really matters.  One day down the road, we become so "starved" for intake from the one who cares for our souls.  In that season of starvation, we often realize our greatest intensity of need.  

Whether you are "feeding" your soul-hunger regularly by a consistent intake of God's presence, his Word, and his peace, or you are a little ravenous because of a prolonged season away from his leading - he stands ready to satisfy!  Taste and see that the Lord is good!

Table for Two

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 The Message)

I once heard it said that you know that you are living the way God intends when you find that you are taking what you see and hear in the Word of God and begin to live by them.  I think it goes beyond that - to actually living UPON them - they become foundational to all you think and do.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly begins a number of statements with the words, "Blessed are you when..."  In the scripture, I found that we are blessed when we exhibit a poverty of spirit, hunger for his righteousness, experience sorrow, and in moments of persecution when we are reliant on nothing more than Jesus to pull us through.  Okay, now that is not a list of "stuff" that I would automatically add to my Christmas wishlist!

How many of us can honestly say that we have worked up a good appetite for God?  Most of us would be honest and say that, at best, it is good some days and not so good on others.  In fact, sometimes our appetite for the things of God is plainly not in control of anything we are "putting into" our lives at that moment!  We take in gossip and wonder why we feel "used up" and kind of "vacant" at the end of the day.  We ingest "empty calories" in a spiritual sense by spending hours upon hours "vegging" in front of the TV and wonder why we are "spiritually flabby".  Ummm...call me silly....but don't we have to pay attention to what we take in and how we use it to be sure it is "good for us"?

Poverty of spirit is not being empty of the spiritually good things that God has prepared for us.  In fact, it is the exact opposite.  It is the condition of being aware that we have nothing good within us that we can offer to God.  We find ourselves aware that apart from the grace of God in our lives, we having nothing good to offer him!  Christ's disciples walked with him along the seashores and through the valleys.  They climbed to mountain tops with him, and found themselves in throngs of seeking people.  Where he was, they were.  They had little, traveled light, but enjoyed much!  Why?  Because in those moments of experiencing Jesus, they were having their faith made rich!

There are a lot of things in this world begging to satisfy our hunger.  God's greatest desire for us is that we will desire to have our hunger satisfied with goodness, peace, and mercy.  He delights in hearing that we are hungry for more of him.  I remember a neighbor of ours when I was growing up.  The family was Italian and loved to make huge meals when "company" came over.  We sat at a long table, laden with all kinds of pasta, sauce, cheese, bread, and other delightful items.  The enjoyment of that meal was made the richer by the company we kept!  The enjoyment of what God provides is made richer by the company we keep with him!

Psalm 125 reminds us that God encircles his people - always has and always will.  Even in the times when all seems to be lost, God encircles his people - always has and always will.  In fact, the very next Psalm tells us that those who plant in times of drought will rejoice in times of harvest.  Those who went off with heavy hearts will return dancing and singing in their hearts.  God's rewards are much different than anything that the world offers us.  In the world, we wallow in our sorrow.  In God's presence, we learn the deep lessons of sorrow.  In the world, we see no end in the drought.  In God's presence, we see the possibilities of rain in even the wispiest cloud!

What makes you hungry today?  What has become foundational in your life?  Is the Word of God more than a thing that you believe in - has it become the very basis of all you believe and DO?  How long has it been since you have felt encircled by God's arms - welcomed to his table, enjoying his company?  Perhaps it is time for a really good meal in his presence!

Totally Okay to Complain!

'Come near to God. He's heard your complaints.'

(Exodus 16:9 The Message)

Yesterday, we began to look at the fact that we can turn our complaints from a negative thing into a positive thing - simply by choosing how we choose to use the opportunity of complaining to examine our motivation.  Today, I'd like us to continue in that thought and expand upon it a little.  The people of Israel have been complaining because they are just about out of food - they are hungry!  Truth be told, I complain a little more when I am hungry, too!  There are two lessons I'd like us to see today from this passage.  First, WHO we take our complaints to really does matter.  Second, hunger is a strong motivator.

Moses is faithful to take the concerns of the people to God.  He makes a beeline to the one and only one that he knows will be able to handle the complaint of the people.  Israel has just began to experience the tremendous power of their God (having seen the plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea).  Now, they will see yet another miracle that will sustain them through their nearly 40 years of wandering through the wilderness.

As he takes their complaints to Lord of Lords, he finds that there is indeed an answer forthcoming.  It would not be something they had seen before.  Their experience would be altered by what God would do for them in providing for their need for food.  Here's the crux of what we usually discover when we take our complaints to God:  Yesterday's known solutions are seldom today's needed solutions.  

We often go about life expecting that what we counted on yesterday will be the exact thing that will bring us through today's fresh challenges.  The fact is, the solution of yesterday MAY work "okay", but it may not be the answer that we need in the here and now!  God has new solutions in mind for his children - when we bring our needs afresh to him, he is able to point out his plans for us that we'd never have considered by relaying on the past solutions.

The second thing is the value of hunger.  Hunger is a strong motivating factor for seeking a new answer from God.  When our hunger is significant enough to look outside of the known solution to a problem, we are open to seeing the greatness of our God on our behalf.  Today's problem is rarely the same as yesterday's - there is usually a different "twist" to it that we may not see apart from the revealing power of God.  Sometimes we are ineffective in overcoming the challenges of today because we don't ask God to show us the way.

Who listens to your complaints?  Is it the right one for the solution that is needed?  There is value in recognizing that our complaints find their greatest opportunity for solution when we bring them to the one who is best equipped to deal with the need behind the complaint!  Let your hunger drive you to find God's newness - don't rely on the old crusts of bread from yesterday when you have the freshness of Manna from Heaven for today!

Hunger, Desire, & Passion

²⁰ It pays to take life seriously;
   things work out when you trust in God. 

(Proverbs 16:20)

Ever get accused of taking life too seriously?  Guess what...when someone tells you that, they are actually paying you a high compliment!  According to scripture, taking life seriously is something that will find us reward, honor, and integrity.  I have been told on more than one occasion that I am way too intense in how I interpret life.  I guess that really doesn't bother me - in fact, rather than being put off by that insight, I want to learn how to have that intensity without putting people off by it.

Quiet reflection is often the "norm" for a believer who is given to "taking life seriously".  There are dedicated times of reflection - times to think things through and run them through the various "filters" we have been given.  Sometimes people interpret this kind of "reflective" time as delaying a response or not being concerned about what is going on in their life.  It is most often the time we take to gather our thoughts, allowing God to give us the right answers to even the toughest of questions.

God is in the business of examining motives.  Whatever motivates us is specifically what or who we have been captivated by.  We are moved by that which maintains our focus.  That's why God focuses on motives so much - getting at the heart of the matter in our daily choices.  He asks for serious reflection on what it is that "has our focus" - because it also has our heart.  He desires to be the only one that has our heart - therefore, he examines it frequently.

There is much to be gained in reflective times.  In the intensity of life, there are times of refreshing that are needed.  The path of the upright leads away from evil - they have learned to follow a different path.  This is not because a Christian is perfect, but because their heart has been captivated by Christ.  This affects focus, impacting motives, and keeping us from wrong paths.  Hunger drives us to the kitchen - desire drives us to prepare the meal - passion drives us to consume it for all the enjoyment we will derive from that meal.  

I wonder if we really know the value of what make us "hungry" for more of God's grace, "desirous" of times alone in his presence, or "passionate" about giving all in service to him.  This type of "intensity" doesn't happen accidentally - it is a choice made from a hungry heart.  Becoming what God desires begins with hunger.  We may not recognize the value of our hunger until we begin to experience the desire for more of God!