December 11-12 - Appetite

“My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend” - Job 16: 20-21

It's the Christmas season, the supermarket shelves are spilling over with a mind boggling variety of foods from all over the world, and people everywhere seem to be obsessed with buying as much as their shopping trolleys will hold – not because they're hungry, because a large amount of the food purchased won't be eaten, it will end up on a landfill site when Christmas day is over.

That is our physical hunger, but what about spiritually - are we hungry for God?

It is possible to maintain a spiritual hunger for God for the rest of our lives. Here are five ways to keep a spiritual appetite.

1. Remind ourselves how much God loves us.

The more we understand how much God loves us, the more we’re going to love him. The Bible says in Ephesians 3:18-19, “May you have the power to understand … how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (NLT, second edition).

2. Stop filling up on junk food.

Forget the fast food, we are spiritual beings with a God-shaped hole in our hearts that only God can fill. When we try to fill it with salary, status, success, passion, possessions, power, prestige, or anything other than God, it’s not going to be fulfilling. Like our physical bodies, fill our stomachs with junk food and our health will decline.

Proverbs 15:14 says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.”

3. Make knowing God your number one goal.

We are known for who we are by the friends we keep, and happiness is a byproduct of knowing God. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well” (NCV).

4. Get into God’s Word every day.

The Bible is food for our souls. There's no way eating a meal once a week will keep us healthy. In the same way, we need to feed on God’s Word every day.

“You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT, second edition).

5. Appetite is influenced by association.

If we hang out with people who only care about politics, that’s all we’re going to care about. If we hang out with people who only care about sports, that’s what we’re going to care about.

The best associations we can have is a small group for support, because whatever we talk about when we’re with others is what we’re going to hunger for. Proverbs 2:20 says, ”Join the company of good men and women, and stay on the paths of the righteous” (MSG/NLT, second edition).

Today's music is “Lord Feed Your Children” - the Gaithers. Click on the picture to listen.