Listening to the Holy Spirit:
He that seeks, so will he find. He that hungers shall find his need, for he seeks to find, and with effort, subdues that again he may eat. What then is the hunger? Foe or friend? For the numb appetite seeks not, and he who seeks not, shall find only in stumble, and in starvation will not know to eat. The hungry heart seeks for its emptiness. Without knowledge it eats of which will not nourish; without redemption, biting at passing pleasure. But you are of the redeemed, called by name to My own. Feel the hunger of what you do not have. Let what you do possess take proper place. As an idol has no life and can give not, so too the material, for it cannot fill. The world offers only what becomes empty again. Seek what lifts each day from hunger, and gives true strength for the journey.
Matt 5:6 (ESV) – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
John 6:55-56 (ESV) – For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
John 14:27 (ESV) – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Rev 3:17 (ESV) – For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Taking It to Work:
Where do you get your peace? What do you hunger for? I woke up the other morning and my favorite, safe-bet, low-risk stock completely tanked. 22% in one day. Reported underperformance and got hit with a lawsuit on the same day. I’m not going to lie; it shook me.
In our culture, and most cultures around the world, money and possessions are security. The more you have, the less likely, theoretically, you can be hurt. From the 401K to last week’s paycheck, we find peace in cashflow and accumulation. Prosperity, success and self-reliance are defined as such, and we sleep well at night on that financial cushion. We all start there. It is natural, and again, the way of the world.
Jesus came with a much different philosophy and proposition. Once we make Him truly Lord of our lives, with Him as our provider, peace has to take the throne, and it’s taking it away from what the world puts on the throne, money. Instead of a hunger for finding peace and security in wealth, He wants us to hunger after Him, and find peace in knowing that He is the ultimate provider.
If we can do that, and turn our hunger and drive away from material wealth, and turn it toward getting close to God, loving people and building His Kingdom, He promises to take care of what wealth took care of before. It’s a super-hard transition for most of us, but He wants us to focus and serve Him as the Provider, instead of focusing on building the provision ourselves.
As counter-worldly and different as that is, as we know here at FCCI, it works. Whether stocks are up or down, when we hunger for following Him, and we give Him the rightful place in our lives, careers and business, we don’t have to worry about the provision. He will, as His Word works in us, today.
