I awoke this morning to a burning hunger in the pit of my stomach. Normally my morning auto-pilot kicks in and I find my way through the darkness to the kitchen and pour myself a fairly generous bowl of cereal which then sets me at peace. This morning however I didn’t have time to stop for breakfast as I had an early morning appointment. The burning hunger turned into a burning bonfire which I eventually had to stop and do something about. Eggs, toast, sausages and hashbrowns later I am on better terms with my body.
Hunger. It brought me to a point of feasting. The hunger also caused me to really enjoy the feast as well. If I didn’t have any hunger prior to eating, I would probably comparmentalize it along with the act of brushing my teeth. Not particularly enjoyable, but a necessary part of daily life.
My thought for the day is this: “YOU WILL NEVER FEAST ON WHAT YOU DO NOT HUNGER FOR”. You may experience something, but you will not FEAST! When you feast you devour everything that is placed before you. It’s so satisfying that you simply can’t stop yourself.
I believe this is one of the key elements of Kingdom living. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matt 5:6).
“In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock” (Nehemiah 9:15).
Physical hunger moved the heart of God to fill His people’s stomachs and provide for them. Spiritual hunger has the potential to bring spiritual awakening as God fills a person with Himself and His goodness overflows to others. There are many distractions in this world that can cause us to “forget” to eat. In the physical, we take regular breaks to eat and nourish our bodies. But our track record in spiritual nourishment has not always been that good. I definitely speak from first hand experience. This world has so many “attractions” for personal leisure and pleasure (not all of which are bad), however indulgement may cause a person to “forget to feast”. These “attractions” have the ability to create an emotional experience, but this in turn becomes a replacement for true intimacy. And so we ultimately find, we’ve filled up on appetizers that do not hold much nutritional content.
How do I get the hunger back?
Two suggestions: 1) Fast from the attractions of the world 2) Feast on the Word
…And you’ll find yourself satisfied before you know it!
