Hunger For God

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. - Matthew 4:6 NASB 1995 

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The two little ones above were hatched in my family's yard a few years ago. This is a vivid picture of hungering and thirsting to be filled by a source other than ourselves. 

When we experience regeneration ( born again) - we immediately look to God for spiritual nourishment. The kingdom of heaven is made up of those with childlike dependent hearts. 

A sign of true hunger for God is our desire to read Scripture. It becomes a glorious obsession. 

The condition of our hearts determines what we get out of daily Bible reading. The Spirit is present to guide a humble obedient heart.

When we receive this gift of righteousness we develop a hunger and thirst for the Holy Spirit's transforming presence. God makes us righteous. Righteousness is received not earned (we don't deserve it). It begins as a legal transaction, but the Holy Spirit leads us in a lifelong process to become more like Jesus. The transactional becomes experiential. Although we never achieve sinless perfection in this life. We must not lose heart! God promises to conform us to the image of Christ - if we don’t give up. 

Another way to say it: God wants us to live a righteous life and do righteous acts. This kind of life can only happen when we totally trust Jesus. We start our salvation journey with faith in Jesus which leads us into the faith of Jesus. Which is complete confidence in the Father’s ability to provide.

God is attracted to those with childlike faith. He promises to draw near to those who draw near to him (James 4:8).

If you have lost your hunger and thirst for him - why not ask God for more? Jesus’ invitation still stands. He's knocking on the door of our hearts. He wants to fellowship with us. Are you tired? He will give you rest. True satisfaction is found in a life fully surrendered to Jesus.

Enjoying The Trinity

 

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” – 2 Corinthians 13:14

"...we see that the Father, Son and Spirit, while distinct persons, are absolutely inseparable from each other. Not confused, but undividable. They are who they are together. They always are together, and thus they always work together." (1)

The mystery of all mysteries is that the One true God comprises three distinct persons. For reasons I cannot comprehend, God desired to create people to enjoy him and to cultivate the earth, under his leadership.

God does not need us, but thankfully, He desires us. He has never been lonely, nor has he ever needed a relationship outside of himself. This Divine community that theologians call the Trinity experienced perfect union and fellowship before the world's creation. If God were a solitary God (which some religions believe) how could he love us? God is love. God is three persons. Our trinitarian God was in a community of love before he created anyone.

Our union with Christ grants us access to the throne room of God by the Holy Spirit. Jesus seated at the Father's right hand guarantees that he hears our prayers (Hebrews 4:16.)

But, our communion with God serves a greater purpose than to answer our prayers. Answered prayer is good, but experiencing God as Father is the ultimate joy.

The reality that we can enjoy God is a foreign concept to many.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a hard taskmaster. We get to see the Father in the life of the Son.

Jesus said that his yoke was easy and that his burden was light (Matt. 11:30.) And, if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father(John 14:9.)

The Father sent Jesus to earth to reveal his heart to those who would become his children.

The Father and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so that we could be filled and indwelt with the very life of God.

May we all learn to enjoy the mystery of our Trinitarian God. As we look forward to the redemption of our bodies (Rom.8:23.)

“But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Cor. 2:9)

(1) Delighting In The Trinity, Michael Reeves, page 34