You Hungry?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish His work.”

John 4:34 (NIV) – Jesus to His disciples near Sychar in Samaria

So the question, it seems, is this: How hungry are you?

Food plays a prominent role in the Bible – when the Israelites complain to Moses, it’s usually about food. When Jesus is in the desert, he’s fasting (abstaining from food). What does the devil tempt him with first? Food. Jewish law addresses clean (kosher) and unclean (non-kosher) foods extensively. Some of Jesus’ most famous miracles involve – you guessed it: food.

I love food. I do 90% of the cooking in our house. I think it’s a blast. I started to learn to cook when I was about 12. The number of food-related shows on TV that Jessica and I watch is frankly embarrassing. Here’s something we all know to be true – no matter how much we eat or how good the food is, we will always be hungry again in a matter of hours – we never stay satisfied.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6 (NIV) – Jesus, Sermon on the Mount

Here’s what Jesus is saying in these two passages: true satisfaction, not from physical hunger, but from spiritual hunger comes from pursuit of Christ and His purposes for our lives. Nothing else can ever satisfy us. We can try to fill the stomach of our souls with any or all of the trappings of this world, but we will always end up starving to death.

We, as followers of Christ, should always hunger and thirst for more of the love, grace, healing and purpose of Jesus in our lives.