Do you have photos from Christmas that are similar to these? Oh, how yummy all that food was two weeks ago! But, now it’s January, and just about everyone I know is dieting, myself included!
You can relax, this is not about dieting — I wouldn’t touch that topic with a 10-foot chocolate-covered pretzel rod. But it is about food… and promises.
I will suggest, though, that food issues are not new to humanity. Remember Adam and Eve? Talk about a food issue! Just one bite and we’re still working that one off.
And, then there’s Esau who, in Genesis 25:27-34, bought a bowl of soup in exchange for his birthright. Esau looked at his immediate circumstances and decided a bowl of soup was more valuable than God’s promises. Because Esau’s focus was on his immediate hunger, he didn’t see any value in God’s Word. For Esau, inheriting the promises was like inheriting the wind.
It’s interesting that God created humans to need food. I wonder if God intended for us to experience physical hunger so that we might understand spiritual hunger and recognize our need for spiritual food.
Jesus says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 – NIV
Have you ever experienced such a strong desire for righteousness? I think most of us have because we have no righteousness of our own. That bowl is empty. We can try with every ounce of our being to “be good”, but we know we can’t be “good enough” to fill the empty bowl within us. We know there’s always more that we could and should be doing.
In our heart of hearts, we know we can’t ever measure up to God’s standard of perfection. We know that we are far from perfect and we can’t get right with God. On our own, we are doomed; starving and parched for a righteousness that is beyond our reach.
But what about the promise that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be filled?
Jesus says: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35 NLT
“Coming to Jesus” means admitting that you are empty, that you can’t satisfy God’s demand for holiness and that only Jesus can. Jesus is the Food that satisfies our deepest craving: our spiritual hunger and thirst for righteousness.
This is a promise God has given us, just like the promises He gave to Abraham that were handed down to Esau. Like Esau, we have a choice, do we believe God or not?
Are there promises of God that you undervalue, and fail to claim as your own, because your focus is on the physical things you hunger for today? Nothing can satisfy the desire to be right with God except Christ’s righteousness. Only the God who gave you the desire can provide the Bread of Life that will satisfy it.
Marcia Furrow 
Every day that starts with your words Marcia is like having the edge on life. I know this is a choice. I will choose to walk the talk 24 7.
soli deo gloria
[to God be the glory, great things he has done]
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Thank you, Bev. Isn’t God gracious to give us His Word that is new each morning!
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As you said, faith is a choice. Dave has always said that to me with my 20 million questions. As he said to me once, by making the choice to have faith we have nothing to loose and everything to gain. Good morning my friend
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Dave is a wise man! You are a fortunate woman! ♥
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So very true! Only the Lord’s Righteousness can satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst of our souls; He created us with an emptiness only He could fill spiritually! I shared this wonderful devotional with my children this morning. Thanks Marcia!
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Thank you, Sandy!
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Marcia, I love this!! How true! And I loved your comment “one bite of that (apple), and we are still trying to work that off!” Thank you again for another great post!!
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LOL – isn’t that the truth! Thanks, Tammi.
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I love how God takes such a simple thing as food, which we all need and can identify w/ (hunger) and uses this to help us understand who He is and what He does for us, right down to our basic needs!! He’s so cool!!
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Praise God He keeps it simple! ♥
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I love this Marcia! Makes me miss your lectures even more keenly. I too loved the examples of Adam and Esau. We really are a carnal driven people aren’t we? Jesus is the answer to all of our questions. Love you!
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Thanks, Sandy. I miss you, too. Praise God He meets every need in Jesus!
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I always enjoy your posts. They are so real and applicable to my daily life. Thank you!
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Thank you, Sue. Love you!
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Again such a wonderful post!! I see so many people that are so “hungry” for fulfillment in their lives that they are continually trying to fill their void. They fill their lives with fancy cars, houses, boats, vacations, clothes, jewelry, alcohol, sex, drugs, etc only to still feel unfilled!! It is only the ones that realize that only Jesus Christ can fill their emptiness and turn their lives over to Him that are filled!! My prayer is that the lost will find Jesus in 2014 and be totally filled with his righteousness!!!
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amen, Janet, amen!
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