Today’s devotional says my appetite for righteousness should equal my appetite for food and water. The idea of severe hunger and thirst is foreign to me. If either happens, it isn’t long before food and drink are available. I don’t fast. This discipline is used to encourage deeper concentration on spiritual matters, but I get such a severe headache that this purpose is thwarted and I’ve had to find other ways to focus on Jesus.
However, food and water aside, I do have a hunger and thirst to be like Him. For this, I need the Holy Spirit. Also, it is important to have no desire to walk in the flesh. The NT says,
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16–17)
This passage goes on to list things like idolatry, strife, etc., yet I know the subtle fleshy traits too, like boasting, wanting to out-do someone, jealousy, self-pity, complaining, gossip, and other ‘little’ sins that spoil my fellowship with Jesus. Wanting nothing between Him and my heart gives me that hunger for righteousness that David writes about:
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1–4)
This is a paradox: my continuous and intense desire for righteousness is continually satisfied by Christ. But it never goes away. One church leader said, “To be hungry is not enough; I must be really starving to know what is in [God’s] heart towards me. When the prodigal son was hungry, he went to feed upon husks, but when he was starving, he turned to his father.”
Yes, only God can satisfy this kind of hunger and thirst. If I try anything else, I’m more than disappointed because anything else is idolatry and sin, deepening the hunger and never giving satisfaction that has lasting value. It took years to learn this, but looking back, the hunger was always there. I am so thankful that Jesus has also always been there.
Jesus, with David I say, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.” (Psalm 17:15) Even as most experiences on earth are temporary and unrelated to eternal bliss, this one is different. Someday I will begin forever with You and that hunger and thirst will melt into full satisfaction that never ends. For now, I’m so glad that You give me a taste of who You are and of Your tremendous ability to meet all my needs. I look forward to seeing You fully, face to face, as You are — the glorious One, my Bread and Water of life!
DO THIS: Read Philippians 3:1–14. What does it mean to place confidence in the flesh? How did Paul define true righteousness? How challenging is it to think this way about myself?`
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