Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. (Philippians 4:11-13, ESV)
As I am writing this, it is Thanksgiving Day afternoon. I have just enjoyed a good home-cooked meal that my wife prepared. We are in our warm home. Our bellies are full. Football is on in the background (we are in the Southeast, where football is big!).
My wife and I are so blessed beyond measure. We have everything we need (and then some). But, why is it that we always long for more? Why do we get what we want, and then the satisfaction we get from it eventually dissipates and then disappears?
In the presence of God there is perfection—no thirst, no hunger, no other desire than for God and his beauty.What do you do when you are hungry? It is not a trick question—you eat. To satisfy our cravings of hunger, we eat and they are satisfied. However, a little while later, you will be hungry again. And then, once more, you will satisfy this craving with food.
The one thing we repeatedly crave eventually becomes something that we take for granted. Eating becomes mindless to us. It is just something we must do in order to survive, little more.
Still, this craving, this food that we must ingest for life, points to something much bigger. It points to our need for a Savior. And when we internalize this Savior, something amazing happens.
There are two beautiful things about this Savior, King Jesus:
First, our Savior never grows hungry nor thirsty. You see, in the presence of God there is perfection—no thirst, no hunger, no other desire than for God and his beauty. Our Savior is so in love with his Father, our God and Father as well, that he desires nothing other than him. He is in need of nothing but his presence and his love.
Second, when we encounter our Savior, our hungers and thirsts for things of this world begin to change. We will never experience perfection on this earth until we are glorified in heaven with God and his perfection. However, the more we mature and grow in Christ, the more we desire to be like him. And, going back to the first point, Christ desires nothing else than the glory of God.
You see, as I sit here full and satisfied from my homemade Thanksgiving meal, the satisfaction and joy from that food will fade and then disappear. However, the satisfaction and joy that can be found only in Christ will never fade nor disappear. Paul, the writer of today’s passage, understood this and practiced this much in his life. Christ was his ultimate satisfaction and true joy in “any and every circumstance.”
Brothers and sisters, be encouraged today. We have many hungers and thirsts for things of this world. However, Christ can only be your ultimate satisfaction when you thirst or hunger.
And the good news? We will fall, we will stumble, we will thirst and hunger for other things. Christ will show me grace my entire life. He gave his life on my behalf so that I don’t have to pay the ultimate sacrifice. He paid this price; now, he calls us to himself. He doesn’t require us to pay the ultimate sacrifice; rather, he begs us to make him our ultimate satisfaction.
—
Rosson Anderson
December 1, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.