“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV)
I have been blessed throughout my life to have sufficient food and to enjoy the food I have. I especially enjoy sharing a good meal with a group of friends gathered around the table. The food refreshes my body while the fellowship refreshes my spirit.
Eating would not be nearly as enjoyable if we did not experience hunger. Hunger is the body’s alarm system, built in by God, to warn us that it’s time to eat. Without hunger we could literally starve to death. Hunger gives us the perception of need. We may feel hunger when the body does not need food, but we can also need food but not want it. Our alarm system has shut down.
HUNGER PANGS
The human body is quite adaptable. Within our culture, we have three set mealtimes each day. There are some who routinely skip meals, frequently breakfast. Their body soon adjusts to this new schedule and no longer sends hunger pangs at that time. If someone habitually works through lunch, those midsection twinges won’t begin until they head home for the day.
The spiritual man is the same. Someone who consistently attends every church service hates even the thought of missing. As the clock approaches service time, the hunger begins. On the other hand, if someone frequently misses service, they will soon lose the desire to be there. The same holds true with our personal devotions. If we skip this time with the Lord, we will soon forget the pleasure, the hunger, of that spiritual mealtime. The alarm is suppressed; hunger fades and finally disappears.
LIVING ON THE RESERVE
When we miss meals, our body dips into its reserve of food stored in the tissues. At this level, as the body just begins to deplete its reserves, hunger is not really that unpleasant. But if allowed to continue, the body sets up a system of priorities that protects its most important organs. That is why all fat reserves are used up first before the heart, brain, and lungs are affected.
The spiritual man can also suffer starvation if allowed to go for long periods without nourishment. In most cases, though, this famine is self-inflicted, caused by our careless habits. Amos describes it as “not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11).
As we go for long periods without spiritual food, our hunger decreases and finally stops. Our stored reserves are used up, and we waste away. In our spiritual apathy we die, unaware of our danger.
GUARDING OUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH
What can we do to protect ourselves from spiritual starvation?
- Be consistent. Keep a regular schedule of personal as well as group worship.
- Keep balance. Include prayer, personal Bible study, praise, worship, and the preached Word in your life.
- Choose quality. Skip the junk food. Don’t ruin your appetite with carnal thoughts and actions. Many things, while perhaps not sin, will decrease our appetite for things of the Spirit.
- Exercise discipline. We all go through seasons when things just don’t taste as good as they once did. If this happens, we must use discipline to force ourselves to eat until our taste buds once again crave the good things of the Lord.
The prodigal son went from abundance in his father’s house to being famished in a pig pen. His cravings for the wrong things ultimately left him empty and starving. If we sense we are in danger of spiritual apathy and starvation, remember the prodigal’s words when he finally hit absolute bottom.
“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father.” (Luke 15:17-18)
“For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Psalm 107:9)
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