One day last week was busier than normal. It was also one of those days when nothing went as planned.
Those aren’t my favorite days. I don’t think I’m alone, either. We all have days like that.
By the time I finally got home for the evening, I opted for a quick dinner of leftover pizza and potato chips. It sounds scrumptious, I know. This was after I had inhaled a quick drive through hamburger for lunch to save time before my next appointment. One might assume that after gorging a hamburger, pizza, and potato chips, I felt full. Quite the contrary. Even though I had consumed way more calories than needed or advised, I was starving.
It was junk food, with a capital J.
Nothing nutritious entered my body all day. And even though a great deal of calories were chomped, none of them were beneficial. It just left me hungry, wanting more.
Physical nutrition is a phenomenon. Spiritual nutrition is no different.
Satan wants to stuff us with “junk”, so we never hunger for healthy things. He dangles an endless quest for satiation that sends us searching for that next big deal, promotion, thrill, or relationship. He deceives us into believing that money, status, or power will silence the groans of our spirit. These “snacks” do provide a brief respite, but the hunger returns stronger than before. And all the while, our spiritual health slowly, but surely deteriorates.
Satan is very good at what he does. In fact, he’s better at it than we are.
That’s why Jesus told Satan in the wilderness, “…man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (John 4: 4, NIV). That’s why Jesus taught the crowds during His Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5: 6, NIV)
The answer to hunger is not simply consumption. It is consuming the right things.
Only God’s presence, word, and righteousness can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts. Everything else leaves us hungry, wanting more. |
