Don't go 'round hungry

Sitting by a well, Jesus told the Samaritan woman- "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13)

Not long after the miracle of feeding the 5000, he told the crowds who came to him, who were once again looking for free food; "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)

In both places, Jesus is illutrating a truth, using one of our most basic needs in life- food and water.. Simply put, He alone can satisfy our inner desires. Problem is, many Christians walk around feeling very empty. They don't experience that "spring of water welling up to eternal life". They often feel very hungry and thirsty. Why is that?

Go back and look at those two verses.. It says "everyone who drinks this water" and "he who comes to Me". In other words, there is action required on our part. We have to come to Jesus and we need to drink the living water He offers. So many Christians don't make time for either activity, then they wonder why they feel so dry and empty. Eventually they find other desires to try and quench the longing they feel within.

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6) If you turn it around, you could say- those who don't hunger and thirst for righteousness shall never be content. So basically we have to choose. We can eat, drink and seek fulfillment in our relationship with God and be satisfied, or we can seek other things and always go 'round hungry.

God will lead us to living water, but He won't make us drink it. That's up to us.

One Thing I Ask

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)

I've heard it said, if you want to find out what's most important to you, just look at where you spend your spare time, where you spend your money and what you think about.. It quickly becomes obvious what you value most in life. David said there was one thing he wanted from God and even said "that I shall seek". In other words, not only did he ask God for this one most important thing, he also intended to do his part to make the request a reality. He valued being in God's presence more than anything. He just wanted to be in God's house, behold His beauty and meditate on God Himself. I want to have a heart like that, to value my relationship with God more than anything else, to "behold the beauty of the Lord and meditate in His temple".

Eagerly Seeking

Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us not to worry about things that aren't important, that we should seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness first and foremost, that God will take care of the rest. We've all heard this passage a million times, but do we really live it?

As Jesus stated "for the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things".. By saying that, He contrasted the way the Gentiles of the day lived in comparison with the way the people of God were instructed to live. In other words Jesus is saying, it's a worldly thing to eagerly seek "things" more than we seek God. How does that truth relate to present day? Today it's much worse. People of the world still eagerly seek things more than they seek God, but today it's much more than concerns about food and clothing. They worry about the car they drive, the house they live in and even whether they have the latest and greatest cell phone. Peoples minds today are nearly consumed with things that don't matter. Are the God's people any different? Many times they're not. Personally, I think it's the enemies way of distracting God's children, to keep them so occupied that they don't spend any quality time with God.

Wouldn't it be radical if the church took these verses to heart and lived them out? While I can't speak for the church, I can speak for myself. I intend to do everything possible to live these truths, to earnestly seek God's Kingdom first, and also His righteousness. Not my own righteousness, but His alone.

Seek ye first the kingdom of men,
treasures of earth and pleasures of sin.
But still in the end, you'll never find
true happiness in your heart and mind.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
you'll find worth and God will applaud.
For He rewards the soul who seeks Him-
they're the wisest of women and men.