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Hungry and Thirsty

by Jerry Ousley  
1/03/2014 / Christian Living

Most of us in the United States don't really know true hunger and thirst. There are some. There are the homeless and the poor and even though we don't want to admit it, we do have these folks in our country who know hunger and thirst. But most of us, other than a little discomfort when it's getting close to dinner time, don't have the slightest idea.

However, for a fat man, there is nothing like dinner after church. I don't know what it is, but there's something about worshipping God in a good service that makes one extremely hungry. That's one reason why so many restaurants have chosen to be open on Sunday; have you ever gone into one of the popular dining establishments around 1:00 in the early afternoon on a Sunday? They are filled with hungry church folks!

What about after working hard physically? A good cool soft drink sounds like heaven; but when you start slurping down that sweet beverage the combination of sugar and syrup in the drink just seems to make your mouth go dry. After working up a good sweat there's really nothing that quenches thirst more than a cool glass of water you know what I mean?

In Matthew 5:6 Jesus talked about being hungry and thirsty. He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Stop and think about being hungry and thirsty. Remember how wonderful the food felt as it hit the bottom of your stomach? Remember how smooth the water felt as it trickled down your throat after cooling the flames in your mouth? That is satisfying.

Jesus was talking about having a desire for God. The Beatitudes are what I call positive/negatives. He was saying that those who are experiencing a desire for God that is so intense it is comparable to being hungry and thirsty are blessed, or made happy. Now doesn't that seem like a strange statement? How can one be happy who is unfulfilled? Our Lord was telling us that we are made happy by our desire because there is a way to find what we need.

But first, let's think about the hunger and thirst part of this statement. Many go to church and that's a good thing. Yet I have often wondered how many simply go out of habit or because they've been taught that it's the right thing to do? Of course it is, but I too wonder how many leave the service not realizing what it is really all about?

And it isn't limited to church attendance. It also incorporates Bible reading and seeking God in prayer. I contend that when we have come to Jesus Christ in salvation that even though it is a wondrous experience, it is only the beginning. It isn't a filling up but it instigates hunger and thirst. When we have experienced the love of God found in coming to Christ what should be taking place is the beginning of a longing for more.

Our salvation experience should make us want to absorb the Bible making time to do so. We should be so hungry and thirsty spiritually speaking that we are never satisfied. My wife and I were accused once by a deacon of the congregation we were attending at the time of being spiritual gluttons. I thought long and hard about that statement. You know what I discovered? There is no such thing! We feast on food until we become fat. However, the exact opposite takes place when we feast on God in reading the word and in prayer. Instead of growing fat we become lean. Our spiritual bodies are honed into spiritual muscle and we only desire more. Spiritual gluttony is impossible.

So go ahead; hunger and thirst for God and His righteousness. Satisfy that spiritual desire to the fullest; and you will be filled!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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