FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY SOUL



Psalm 130:1-8
John 6:35, 41-51










Several years ago, the Eurythmics had a hit song called, “Sweet Dreams:”

Sweet dreams are made of this ... Everybody's looking for something.


Everybody's looking for something. It's part of the human condition, a craving of the soul, and there's only one answer for it.


What do you crave? Just talking about cravings makes me think about dark chocolate. A lot of my food cravings aren't neccesarily the healthiest choices I can make, and they're not really what I want and need. They're full of empty calories that give me a sugar high and leave me only wanting more. They may take the edge off my hunger, but they really don't satisfy it.

People crave a lot of things, not just food. Addicts crave the source of their addiction even after they have recovered. We crave attention, affection and acceptance. Others crave material wealth, power and achievement. For human beings, it seems that enough is never enough, and we just want more and more. All the things we crave don't really satisfy the hunger of our hearts and souls.

In Psalm 130, I hear the cry of a hungry soul.

Help, God—the bottom has fallen out of my life!
    Master, hear my cry for help!
Listen hard! Open your ears!
    Listen to my cries for mercy.
Psalm 130:1-2 (The Message)

This is a soul hungry for God, for His forgiveness and compassion.

Too often, human cravings mask what we're really hungry for: unconditional love and acceptance, healing of body and soul, forgiveness and fresh starts, purpose and a part of something bigger than ourselves. Unfortunately, we try to satisfy this hunger by chasing after the things of this world, but when we try to do this our way, on our own, we end up spiritually and emotionally starving.

But because God loves us too much to allow us to remain in such a state of deprevation, God offers us something better, something more satisfying than all our cravings – food for our hungry souls: Jesus.

Jesus says to us, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35, RSVP)

Jesus is food for our hungry souls. Things of this world don't last, we will always be hungry for more, running on empty. Christ offers us the bounty of God's grace that nourishes, strengthens and sustains us like nothing else we can give ourselves. It is everlasting, and with it comes salvation and eternal life. Even the manna that God provided the people of Isreal in the wilderness couldn't do that.

What are we hungry for, today? Is it forgiveness, unconditional love and acceptance, purpose, hope, healing, or being part of something that is greater than ourselves?

Jesus is the bread of life.

Where are those hunger pains coming from? A call to ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior? A part of our life that we need to surrender to Christ? Are we hungering after a deeper relationship with God?

Jesus is the bread of life and food for the hungry soul. Only He can satisfy the hunger of our hearts and fill our emptiness.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHRISTIANS AND COFFEE BEANS

Image
1 Peter 1:17-23 John 17:14-19 Potatoes, eggs or coffee beans? Which are Christians called to be? We're going to find out as we explore what it means to be “in the world but not of the world” in today's message, “Christians and Coffee Beans.” Put three pots of water on to boil. When the water begins to boil, put some potatoes in one, eggs in another pot, and coffee beans in the third point. Boil for 20 minutes The potatoes went into the pot hard. After boiling in the hot water, they are now soft, easily broken up and mashed. The eggs, with their fragile shells and soft centers, are also changed. They are now hard-boiled. The coffee beans are different. While they look the same as they did when they were put into the water, they have transformed the water. The water has taken on the smell, taste and color of the coffee Jesus was not of this world, yet he came into the world to redeem the world by his death and resurrection an...
Read more

OATHS -- GONE WITH THE WIND?

Image
Leviticus 19:11-12 Matthew 5:33-37 Even if we've never seen the movie, Gone with the Wind, we're probably familiar with Scarlett O'Hara's oath. Framed by the sunset, Scarlet raises her fist in defiance and says, “As God is my witness, I will never be hungry again!” In today's passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus leads us into a new understanding of oaths and profanity. Did the character, Scarlett O’Hara in the movie, Gone with the Wind , take the Lord’s name in vain when she made her famous oath? “As God is my witness, as God is my witness, they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again. Leviticus 19:11-12 tells us not to take oaths, make promises that profane the Lord’s name, that is take the Lord’s name in vain. Scarlett’s oath is a profane ...
Read more

ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER

Image
"...  and let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds...  " --  Hebrews 10:24  ( Amplified Bible) "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing."  -- I Thessalonians 5:11 (NRSV)       To encourage means to:   give support, confidence, or hope to someone; give support and advice to someone to help them do or continue to do something; thelp stiulate development.  Encourage and building each other up go hand in hand.  Here are some ways we can encourage and build each other up which will in turn help us become healthy, thriving churches. 1.  Have high regards, great respect and favorable thoughts for each other. 2.  Be thoughtful and intentional when you speak.  Consider where someone is coming from and choose wisely your words. 3.  Be gracious.  When someone makes a mistake, be quick to forgive...
Read more