hunger

What do we hunger for?

Why do we think  junk food tastes so good?

These are important questions. Especially as my metabolism slows down and gravity kicks in. But what if we looked at this from another angle.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Suppose that we went through each day not being confronted by thousands of advertising messages that try to change our behaviour and influence our choices.  What if all the advertising that was spent on junk food was dedicated to green beans and cabbage?

We live in a world that is trying to convince us it knows what we want, and that instant gratification equals real satisfaction. And it will use manipulation of truth, outright lies and all our emotions against us to do it. Who do you think directs all that?

Junk food is a cheap and easy to digest combination of fats, salts and sugars mixed with just enough real food to make it look tasty and sometimes even pass as healthy. The fact that our bodies actually need protein, fat, carbohydrates to function is manipulated, though, and unless you know what exactly you are eating, (beyond the appetizing exterior), it’s hard to know it’s not healthy. Until you find out your arteries are all clogged, and your heart has become sick.

By the same token, there is a lot of “if it feel good, it must be good” thinking out there; it didn’t cost anything to come up with, and is easy to digest, and it lures many away from the real truth. If your spiritual diet is based on this, you won’t know it until one day you realize your heart is sick. I used to believe in a lot of it. For me, it took coming to a place in my life when I realized that all the temporary things I had been trying to fill my spiritual hunger with did not work; my arteries were clogged with half truths, and my heart was shutting down.

Today I recognize that what I really hunger for is right-ness. Good-ness. Truth. And most of all, Love. I have found the source of all this, as you have. But it was not free; it cost a Life. Today we don’t have to live with that gnawing, constant feeling of being empty, we can be “filled”, as Jesus promised. And that’s more satisfying than anything else on earth.

PS: I am using junk food as an example, and not at all trying to tell anyone how to eat! I am certainly not a nutritionist…and personally, I enjoy pizza, just not every day!!

gifts

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.  God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 1 Corinthians 12:4-5

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are?

Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues

We all have them, because verse seven says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other”. Why are we so insecure about this? Maybe I am over-speaking, but it seems to me, that this is a very murky area for many believers. Rarely have I heard someone come out and say, “My spiritual gift is prophecy”, or “I have the spiritual gift of knowledge”… we sort of hope someone who knows will tell us, so we can believe it.

Since the only experience/knowledge I have to share with you is related to art and creative expression, let’s bring it back to that. Perhaps the expression of what God breathes in us will reveal our gift. In other words, maybe when He placed that particular passion in us, for say, writing or painting, cooking or gardening it was so that when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us while we engage in that, not only would the fruit of the Spirit be revealed, but our spiritual gift would also be revealed….and that gift is what helps others.

Take cooking for example. When someone has a passion for cooking, and does it with love, even with the attitude of worshipping the Lord, the fruits of love, goodness, faithfulness, to name a few are revealed in that person. At the same time, perhaps this person is moved to share the meal with a neighbor for some unknown reason…and it turns out the neighbor was really going through some tough times…that simple act of sharing a meal that was created from the heart of love could become a gift of healing. We just never know. (And that is not a made up example…that is something that happened). So if you are aware of what you gift is, I would love to hear! you can just reply to this email (it will only come back to me)…or post a comment on the blog. Just click on the header of this email and it will take you there.