Reason #21
I work for the best company in America! One of the many benefits of my job is that breakfast is provided for the employees... for free! Each morning I head up to the cafeteria to eat a blueberry bagel and milk. This morning, the only milk left in the refrigerator was chocolate milk. For a girl who loves chocolate, I seriously dislike chocolate milk. My only other drink options were juice, water, coffee or hot chocolate. Well, juice didn't sound good, water is boring, coffee is too bitter for me so hot chocolate was the winner. Thankfully, I am a hot chocolate drinker. As I ate my bagel and drank my hot chocolate, I felt like something was missing. The bagel was good, the hot chocolate was good, but they just didn't go together. I left breakfast feeling unsatisfied and really disappointed that all the milk was gone.
It wasn't long after breakfast that I began to feel hungry again. So, to curb my hunger, I opted for some peanut butter M&M's. Don't worry, I do not normally make so many poor food choices each day. Anyhow, I ate those delicious M&M's and was about ready to eat my arm when lunch rolled around.
I'm sure you're wondering why I am recapping my daily food intake. I felt unusually hungry today so I tried to figure out why. I was eating all day long so there was really no reason for me to feel hungry. I realized that I was so hungry because I started my day off with something that didn't fill or satisfy me and left me feeling a little empty and looking for more. Unfortunately, I tried to satisfy my hunger with more poor food choices through out the day, which didn't work.
Milk has a lot of vitamins and nutrients. As the saying goes, "milk does a body good." Hot chocolate, on the other hand, is delicious and full of empty calories. While it can be a substitute for milk, it can't accomplish what milk can. My body was looking for nutrients and "healthy calories" to keep it full but I opted to fill it with empty calories because I just needed something to wash down my bagel with.
I began to think about my spiritual health and realized a parallel between the two. How often do I substitute my time with the Lord for something else? Sure, these things might be "good" but they pail in comparison to him. How often do I start my mornings off consuming something that is only going to leave me empty rather than allowing the Lord to consume me with his presence? How often do I go throughout my day grabbing the first thing I see that may or may not give me satisfaction rather than allowing him to satisfy me? I don't want to go through life feeding myself on things that are just "good enough."
1 Peter 2:2-3 says, "Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness." Just like my body was crying out for healthy, filling food today, I want my soul try cry out for the Lord. Not only did my taste buds miss the refreshing taste of milk this morning, my stomach missed the satisfaction and fullness that milk brings. When I don't allow God to fill me each morning, I miss the refreshment he brings as well as the satisfaction I have from being in his presence. When I consume myself with him each morning, I don't leave feeling disappointed or like I need something else. It's amazing how our morning choices have an impact on our whole day!
In Isaiah 55, the Lord says, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!" I'm so thankful to know that the Lord is always there to quench my thirst. His refrigerator is fully stocked and the milk available for the taking!
I want the Lord to be my satisfaction. I realize that the empty calories of the world will never satisfy me like his rich love will. I'm thankful to serve a God who quenches our thirst, but my prayer is that he would keep me thirsty so that I will always crave him.
#21 - Because he is my nourishment.
"Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives." - Psalm 90:14
It wasn't long after breakfast that I began to feel hungry again. So, to curb my hunger, I opted for some peanut butter M&M's. Don't worry, I do not normally make so many poor food choices each day. Anyhow, I ate those delicious M&M's and was about ready to eat my arm when lunch rolled around.
I'm sure you're wondering why I am recapping my daily food intake. I felt unusually hungry today so I tried to figure out why. I was eating all day long so there was really no reason for me to feel hungry. I realized that I was so hungry because I started my day off with something that didn't fill or satisfy me and left me feeling a little empty and looking for more. Unfortunately, I tried to satisfy my hunger with more poor food choices through out the day, which didn't work.
Milk has a lot of vitamins and nutrients. As the saying goes, "milk does a body good." Hot chocolate, on the other hand, is delicious and full of empty calories. While it can be a substitute for milk, it can't accomplish what milk can. My body was looking for nutrients and "healthy calories" to keep it full but I opted to fill it with empty calories because I just needed something to wash down my bagel with.
I began to think about my spiritual health and realized a parallel between the two. How often do I substitute my time with the Lord for something else? Sure, these things might be "good" but they pail in comparison to him. How often do I start my mornings off consuming something that is only going to leave me empty rather than allowing the Lord to consume me with his presence? How often do I go throughout my day grabbing the first thing I see that may or may not give me satisfaction rather than allowing him to satisfy me? I don't want to go through life feeding myself on things that are just "good enough."
1 Peter 2:2-3 says, "Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness." Just like my body was crying out for healthy, filling food today, I want my soul try cry out for the Lord. Not only did my taste buds miss the refreshing taste of milk this morning, my stomach missed the satisfaction and fullness that milk brings. When I don't allow God to fill me each morning, I miss the refreshment he brings as well as the satisfaction I have from being in his presence. When I consume myself with him each morning, I don't leave feeling disappointed or like I need something else. It's amazing how our morning choices have an impact on our whole day!
In Isaiah 55, the Lord says, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!" I'm so thankful to know that the Lord is always there to quench my thirst. His refrigerator is fully stocked and the milk available for the taking!
I want the Lord to be my satisfaction. I realize that the empty calories of the world will never satisfy me like his rich love will. I'm thankful to serve a God who quenches our thirst, but my prayer is that he would keep me thirsty so that I will always crave him.
#21 - Because he is my nourishment.
"Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives." - Psalm 90:14
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