"You are what
you eat." I heard that phrase countless times growing up when my food
choices were less than ideal. My "pear"
body shape was always at risk to become a stout Bartlett instead of a slender
Bosc. Lately, however, this phrase has
been in my thoughts not in connection with physical food choices but my
spiritual food choices.
Matthew 5:6 tells us, "Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst after righteousness for they will be filled." (satisfied)
To hunger after righteousness is literally to be starving for
it.
By definition: to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire.
To be satisfied is to be filled with Jesus and content in His
presence. Just like eating a meal
satisfies our physical hunger for the moment, feeding on the Word satisfies our
spiritual hunger for the moment. And
just as eating a meal only satisfies us for that day, so it should be with our
spiritual meal as well.
We need physical food every day to give us energy and stamina to
live life. We need spiritual food every
day to give us the wisdom, knowledge and discernment to live life
righteously.
The question I have been asking myself is: Am I what I eat spiritually? Am I starving for righteousness? Do I long to
know Jesus so intimately that I can hardly wait for that next "meal"
in His presence?
Do I come to bible study out of duty and because it is "the
right thing to do" or do I come because I ardently crave His truth and
want more of it?
Am I looking to be "satisfied as with the richest of
foods?" (Psalm 63:5a)
I want to have the same passion for God that David expressed in Psalm 42:1-2: "As the deer pants
for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living
God. When can I go and meet with God?"
And again in Psalm 63:1
"O God, You are my God; Earnestly I seek You; my soul
thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is
no water."
David voiced his deep longing to be in God's presence and to quench
his thirst with the living water of God.
It was something he couldn't live without.
Is it something I can't live without?
So how do I hunger and thirst after righteousness? How do I move
from duty to delight? (I confess many times I am in 'have to' mode with my
quiet time rather than 'get to' mode.)
1. Check my heart motivation:
Psalm 51:6,17
“Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom
in the inmost place…The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and
contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
2. Seek Him daily, asking Him to increase my
passion for Him and His Word. Come into
His presence in delight not duty:
Ps. 119:10-16
“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from you
commands. I have hidden your word in my
heart that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come
from your mouth. I rejoice in following
your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect
your word.”
3. Dwell on His love for me:
1 John 4:10
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and
sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.”
Zeph. 3:17
The Lord Your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you He will
quiet you with His love He will rejoice over you with singing.
4. Look with expectation for the new truth He
has for me and respond as He leads through confession, prayer, meditation, and
journaling.
Ps. 25:4-5
“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in
Your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all
day long.”
Ps. 19:14
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
5. Respond with praise and worship:
Ps. 145:1-2
“I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your name
forever and ever. Every day I will
praise You and extol Your name forever and ever.”
Psalm 63:3-5
"Because Your love is better than life my lips will glorify
You. I will praise you as long as I
live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied (sated, be filled, fulfilled) as with the
richest of food; with singing lips my mouth will praise You."
In conclusion, I ask:
Am I what I eat? Am I feasting on the "fruit" of
righteousness and the "bread of life?" Am I thirsty for the "living
water?" Does Jesus satisfy me above all else? Is He truly all I need or want?
My heart says no, not always; but it is my desire. My challenge for myself is to keep seeking and
asking for an all-consuming passion for Jesus.
My challenge to all of you is the same.
For God promises: "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me
with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
