No one likes to be hungry; we get irritated and feel desperate to fill the emptiness inside. The same is true spiritually. Just as our stomachs ache when not filled with food, so our heart and soul acge when not filled with God. God has put eternity in our hearts (see Eccles. 3:11)- a longing for God-and to fill the heart with anything else is to leave it malnourished. You can be sure that your spiritual soul is hungry for God if it's been awhile since your last spiritual meal. You may have noticed the symptoms; less patience; kindness; and love towards others. These are hunger pangs of an empty heart.
All the attributes that demonstrate the presence of the holy spirit begin to dissipate unless we are nourished by the only one who can satisfy. The more we have been satisfied with the nourishment of God's love, His Word, and his presence, the more we will yearn for it when it is missing. But there is a subtle danger; with enough time away, we may not realize that we are even hungry at all. We might begin to feed on the things of this world that provide only temporary satisfation, oblivious to the spiritual nutritional crisis that is coming. We forget that we were created for fellowship with father, to love Him and be loved by Him. He, and he alone, is our daly bread. St. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.
Jesus said "I am the bread of life. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (John 6:48:51). To eat the bread of life means to accept Christ into our lives as savior and to beome united with him. We are united as we study His word daily, commune with him through prayer, and live lives of obedience.
To feed our stomach is a temporary pleasure, but to feed our souls with the bread of life is a pleasure that satisfies now and forever.
All the attributes that demonstrate the presence of the holy spirit begin to dissipate unless we are nourished by the only one who can satisfy. The more we have been satisfied with the nourishment of God's love, His Word, and his presence, the more we will yearn for it when it is missing. But there is a subtle danger; with enough time away, we may not realize that we are even hungry at all. We might begin to feed on the things of this world that provide only temporary satisfation, oblivious to the spiritual nutritional crisis that is coming. We forget that we were created for fellowship with father, to love Him and be loved by Him. He, and he alone, is our daly bread. St. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.
Jesus said "I am the bread of life. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (John 6:48:51). To eat the bread of life means to accept Christ into our lives as savior and to beome united with him. We are united as we study His word daily, commune with him through prayer, and live lives of obedience.
To feed our stomach is a temporary pleasure, but to feed our souls with the bread of life is a pleasure that satisfies now and forever.
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