Since we are focusing into building up our spiritual well being, I would like to carry forward the topic we've discussed over cell yesterday: Being hungry for God.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled
Most people I have known, who have given their lives to a pursuit of happiness, have never really attained what they would call true happiness. Perhaps it all hinges on how we define the word. Or perhaps the things we thought would make us happy are not the things which make people happy. What would it take to make us happy? What would it take to make us truly satisfied?
Are you satisfied with your life, your marriage, your work, your relationships with others, your relationship with God? What have you been doing to improve your level of satisfaction? Is there anything you can do that will make a difference?
One the problems we face is that we have been willing to settle for less. We have lost our passion. We also see this problem in the church. All too often we have been willing to settle for less in our spiritual lives than what God desires for us. Perhaps it is because we live without persecution in a country where we enjoy religious freedom. That very freedom often causes people to take for granted things which should be held as very precious. It can cause people to take lightly their Christian commitment. It fosters a casual Christianity, one in which we serve only at our convenience.
Perhaps we need to consider that our search for happiness or satisfaction has been misguided. It could be that we have been seeking the wrong object. The reason why the things we have sought have not made us happy is because they cannot make us happy. Things do not satisfy, only God satisfies. It has been said that within every human being is a "God shaped blank" and we are never satisfied until we are filled with God.
Jesus said it this way: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Perhaps the reason we are not satisfied is because we have lost our passion for God.
When Jesus uses the words hunger and thirst, He is speaking of real hunger and thirst. Most of us have a very hard time identifying with what Jesus intended to communicate. We have never really experienced true hunger or true thirst. Jesus was speaking of starvation and the intense hunger which it brings. Generally, when we say that we are hungry, we mean that it has been several hours since we last ate. But this is not hunger. The kind of hunger of which Jesus spoke could not be satisfied by a mid-morning snack. The kind of thirst of which He spoke could not be quenched by a brief trip to the water cooler. He was speaking of people who are in desperate and dire circumstances, like those who are suffering from famine.
There have been famines throughout history. In 436 BC, Rome experienced a famine so severe that thousands threw themselves into the Tiber River. They desired to drown rather than starve to death. Severe famine struck England in 1005 AD. Great famines enveloped Europe in 879, 1016, and 1162. We have seen famines spread throughout the third world countries where tens of millions have died of starvation.
We have never experienced starvation. I would suppose, however, that a starving person has only one desire. That person is possessed by a single, all-consuming passion. Only food and water has the slightest attraction or appeal to that person. Nothing else is important. Nothing else has even the slightest appeal.
Could it be that what Jesus is saying is that:
Until we come to the place where we have such a single-mindedness in our passion for God that we will never experience true satisfaction?
As a matter of fact, that is precisely what I think He is saying! The question to you then becomes: "Do you have a passion for God?" Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Is this your desire? Is this what you want above all else? Are you starving for God? You will find nothing else which will satisfy that hunger. In Isaiah 55:2, God asks, "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what is does not satisfy?"
Only God satisfies. So, we need to come to the place where we are hungry for God. We must desire Him so passionately that our desire causes us to do something about it. Nothing less than that passion will cause us to act properly. When Prodigal Son was hungry he turned to the husks that he was feeding the pigs. When he was starving he turned to his father.
What brings us to this place of passionate hunger for God? Many things can. A true realization of our own sinful condition can cause us to desire release through the power of God. When we are suffering, we may look to God for help. If tragic events overtake us, God may be the One to whom we turn. Whatever the means God uses, He desires to bring us to the place where we come to the end of ourselves. This is where we must be in order to discover a real hunger for God.
Coming to the end of ourselves brings us to a place of desperation. And in our desperation, after we have exhausted all other possibilities, we turn to God as the only hope for our lives.
Are you there? Have you come to the place where you are ready to allow God to have His way in your life?
February 26, 1995
J. David Hoke
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
(sorry guys... this is the first time im writting a blog... so not too sure how it works or whatsoever... can i write in short form? yes i can...hee)
Alrite... I believe in the verse "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be spiritually filled" (Did i get the verse rite?)
But i tink when u are reali thirsty for God u will "never" be satisfied...Why did i say tt?
Coz when u are hungry and thirsty for God, you'll seek Him reali with all ur heart, soul and mind... N i reali meant heart, soul n mind... to the point tt you'll tink of HIm every min in ur daily lives.. conversing wif Him at anytime u can find...n by tinkin of Him n searching to noe Him, His thoughts, and His wanders more, ur spiritual desire is being met and fulfilled juz as He has promised us in the verse...BUT, when we get the taste of being filled for our hunger n thirst, we get even more hungry n thirsty for more of Him! we juz want to noe Him even more n more n more n more! And the cycle juz goes on n on... So when will we REALLY get filled? I guess it'll be the day when we reali finally get to see Him in paradise...haha. (tts the conclusion i get from readin a book while searching for the answer to my own qn. haha... or do u all haf any other tinkin? pls let me noe.. keke)
P.S. And if anyone out there who find that you're not thirsty enough, maybe you can try to pray like vivian had suggested last sat. Haha... Trust me, it really works! You will find yourself in a whole new "adventure" to know our Creator even better and also to know how much He loves you! And your thirst for Him will never end! (But mind you, as my reverend from my ex-church had warned me before, be careful for what you pray for because our God really listen to prayers that will benefit you.)
I do agree with yinghan that we will 'never' be satisfied, you can never get enough of Him.
But i think what Jesus meant here is that if you live on God's words and seek His way, you will live a life of satisfaction. You find the meaning of life, your purpose and sense of fulfillment in all things you do.
And it is important that everyday we feed ourselves with God's words. Just like what God did for the Isrealites, God brought down manna for them to eat, but the manna is only good for today.If they keep much more than what they need for today, it will get spoiled. They have to trust God each day. And God will supply everything you need each day. The moment we stop feeding on God, we live our own way of life, which very often we think is more satisfying. Truth is we don’t have the capability or ability to satisfy ourselves. It only comes from and through Jesus Christ.
We are familiar with the song that starts with "Have you ever talk to God above...". And our answer will definitely be a "yes".
However, what about changing the lyrics to "Have you ever cry to God above...?". Or asking about when is the last time that we have an intimate time with God alone until we are touched and cry to God?
Thirst and hunger starts with a heart that admits its inadequacy and sinful nature. Passion for God (for me) starts with God's healing for my sinful nature, inadequacy and hurts.
My new life and confidence found in God engaged me to serve Him and commit to Him. Or basically, He create a sense of usefulness and meaning in me.
And this life and confidence is not swayed but other people and factors around us but a promise from God alone.
What about you?
Let's find God's touch for all of us again and move on as His Church!
Many a times we're just so preoccupied with daily worldly things going on around us which pushes God outta our minds. Well that's for me at least.
I often feel as if my day is partitioned into segments - one for the world and another just for God, like during my quiet time. It's quite a sad thing when you realise at the end of the day that the entire day had just passed without you thinking of Him.
There was a period of time when God was so integrated into my life that I was practically talking to him everywhere I went and in everything I did. I think I really miss that. Perhaps I should try to pray like what Ying Han and Vivian suggested so He'll revive the thirst and hunger in me for Him once again.
Actually, I've been reading the blog many times since the day it was up but it never really occur to me to write anything until I read Angie's comment this morning.
I really agree with her that many times we are just so preoccupied with daily worldly things that we simply just forgotten about God. Sometimes, we are upset by the worldly things that happened around us, the comments that friends and relatives gave to us but we are not sad about not having good relationship with Him or not knowing Him better each day. This is how I always feel.
And I always feel that life is just so busy, like as if I've got endless things to do. I've gotta work, gotta study, gotta do quiet time, read the bible, read christianity books, prepare for my coming wedding, revise for my exams... etc. Most of the time, even the only quiet time that I have to spend with God, becomes a very routine thing to do. I just do for the sake of doing. Usually, I'll just console myself that as long as I've prayed or talked to Him that day, it's enough. He will understand that I'm busy. But I always end up feeling bad thinking this way. I knew deep down I am just lazy and I did not push myself hard enough.
I once experienced the hunger and thirst for Him. The kind of feeling is like what Angie has shared before during one of the cell, that is, you are not hungry but when you start eating, you feel like eating more, you feel as if you are getting hungrier and you just wanted to eat more. I wanted to feel like this everyday. I wanted to be hungry and thirsty for God everyday but somehow, I just lost it.
I think I really should also pray like what Ying Han and Vivian had suggested so that I can experience the hunger and thirst for Him once again.
Post a Comment