Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Are You Hungry?

Our local body assembled this week at the home of the Verrett’s. The communion dinner or may I say BBQ was excellent. We must commend Bro. Mike on his pit skills.

Our koinonia or Christian fellowship certainly equaled our communion meal in substance.

Bro Mike offered the subject of “Hungering for God” based on an article he read by Andrew Strom who happened to be referencing another fellow laborer of ours, David Servant. Brother David was teaching on this subject and it seems to be something that the Holy Spirit is urging us to review. You may want to go ahead and read the article, by going here first. It may help our browsing brothers and sisters create a reference as we discuss this topic.

A main point that Brother David offers is that a visitation of God not only is preceded by Prayer and Repentance, but there must also be some measure of hunger of the people for God. Darla underscored this point with the passage from the Sermon on the Mount,

(Mat 5:6 NKJV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Only something that is empty can be filled. Have we filled our lives with so many things “of this world” that we don’t have an appetite for God and His Righteousness?

Darla also referenced Psalm 112 which seems to also reinforce this idea of emptying oneself so that he or she can be filled. This Psalm talks about a man who is gracious and lends, and one who gives to the poor. This man bears the fruit of his actions by never being shaken and having his heart established, steadfast.

This all starts with a constant hunger and desire for God to fill us with Himself, a thirsting after His Righteousness. Andrew Strom also points out that as countries are thoroughly “westernized” their hunger typically stagnates, apathy “reigns supreme.” How true is this?

If we can honestly say that we don’t have a growing hunger for God, it is most probably that our own desires have been consuming the things of this world. We then cannot blame God for this. My daughter Lauren shared an appropriate passage for this,

(James 1:12-14 NKJV) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. {13} Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. {14} But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

God’s expectation of us in the trial is that we overcome not that we would cave in to our desires. As Lauren shared, many people simply count the cost and decide that it costs too much to overcome or resist the temptation or in some cases, flee the temptation. Do we really value the need to overcome the constant pull of the world on our lives? Do we really resist the Devil so that he will flee?

I personally believe the Holy Spirit made the point in our assembly on Sunday. The real issue becomes, “what will we do about it?” I pray that you will meditate on these things and take action! Overcome the world! Empty yourself of it! Cry out to God that He would fill you up with Himself!

I leaved you with this thought, if indeed we hunger not for the things of God, then we must like the prodigal son, come to our senses. He realized that the world was not providing nourishment to his soul. In repentance, he ran back to his father who not only provided the fattened calf but had a great feast in his honor.

(Luke 15:17-23 NKJV) "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! {18} 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, {19} "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' {20} "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. {21} "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' {22} "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. {23} 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

Bro Russell.

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