Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Philippians 4:12, ” I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. “
Background & Application
Can you describe what righteousness tastes like? Jesus teaches in the beatitudes, ” Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. ” So, have you tasted righteousness often enough that you know what it is, and what you’re missing when you aren’t experiencing it? Let’s consider what it might be. Perhaps its desire for the salvation of the lost tastes like Paul’s in Romans 9, where he wished that he were accursed from Christ for the sake of his lost countrymen. Is your love for the lost in tune with God’s? Maybe its family life tastes like the one Jesus described in Luke 14, where He said we must hate our entire family, and our own life, in order to be His disciple. Is your love for Him so great that your love for your family looks like hate in comparison? Perhaps its social life resembles the one Paul described in 1 Corinthians 10, where he said that whether you are eating, drinking, or doing anything with your time, do it all for God’s glory. Are your weekends, and your night life, and your alone time reflective of the King we serve?
Maybe its ambition at work tastes a lot like what Jesus described in Mark 9, when He said if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. Are you working for the Lord by getting your name out there, or could you care less about who gets the credit for what gets done? Possibly its finances taste like that of the believers in Acts 4, where we read that no one said they possessed what they owned, but they shared everything they had. Are you the bottleneck in God’s desire to be a blessing to someone else? And maybe its heart tastes like that of Jesus on the cross, when He asked His Father in Luke 23 to forgive us, His murderers, for we don’t realize what we are doing. Is there often a chip on your shoulder or an offense you are a victim of, or are you quick to work on taking the log out of your own eye? Hunger and thirst are uncomfortable reminders that we need something that is good for us. Let’s fill that pang with the sweet-tasting righteousness of God.
Charge
As we seek Him today, let your stomach grumble for just a bit as a reminder that we need the Living Water and the Bread of Life. Thank God that He fills our souls, even as He fills our bellies.
