Year: 2024

What are we hungry and thirsty for?

When I was a newborn baby,  I hungered and thirsted for a mother’s milk, a clean diaper, the warmth of a mothers arms,  and the sound of her heartbeat.

When I was a child,  I  hungered and thirsted for foods that tasted good to my tongue, toys and friends to play with, and adults to do everything for me.

When I was a teenager, I hungered and thirsted for foods, entertainment and activities that could be enjoyed socially with friends, time away from adults,  and a cities time when I could “be an adult and do adult stuff”.

When I was a foolish young adult,  I hungered and thirsted for the opposite sex, whatever might get me closest to them, and whatever might catch their attention.

As I’ve grown and matured into less of a child and less of a fool,  I’ve learned to hunger and thirsty for things that aren’t necessarily “of this world”.

The Word of God tells us this about what we “hunger and thirst for”:

Matthew 5:6 AMP
[6] “Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.

https://bible.com/bible/1588/mat.5.6.AMP

This study ponders the biblical account of David as an example of a man who hungered and thirsted for righteousness,  and is worth a read of you have the time: https://www.learningladyhood.com/blog/davids-hunger-and-thirst-for-righteousness

The author of Learning Ladyhood states:

“When I think of a person in Scripture who exemplified this idea of hungering and thirsting after righteousness, I think of David. Although he was not at all perfect, he nevertheless displayed a heart that longed to do things right: that was willing to fight for righteousness, literally and figuratively, and that mourned when he failed to live out the righteousness he knew God expected of him.”

Isn’t it wonderful that the Word of God offers this satisfaction to those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” rather than “those who think themselves righteous”?

The biblical account of David’s life is treacherous and far from perfect — yet He longed for and sought God with passion and boldness. This is a great encouragement to me, because I seem to myself to have far more in common with the foolish mistakes I see David and other mere men of the Bible making than the perfection of God and Christ Jesus’ life example. Yet,  I have something else in common with these “fellow fools and sinners” — I long for God and for righteousness. I recognize that I get in my own way, and that I need something beyond my own fleshly desires that crave fulfillment from things in this world.

There is a part of us that we Christians can grab hold of that is “not of this world”. It is why we can say boldly that we are just a traveler in this land, but it is not our home. It is why, even as our flesh screams out at us to fulfill our desires by following the temptation to sin,  we can boldly stand firm against it to walk in a different Way.

If you still only know how to hunger and thirst for the desires of your flesh and of this world, have you seen yet that there is a high price to every “free gift” the enemy offers you?

Have you found that even though sin feels good for a season, it always loses its taste and costs more than it is worth in the end?

Do you need a new type hunger for a type of bread and water that is truly life sustaining?

His name is Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, and He takes us a different Way where we are blessed and we are satisfied in ways this world can never fulfill by itself.

In fact, the world with all of its treasures turn into traps and poison when we try to close our fist around them. But with Him, they become blessing that goes abundantly more than enough for us to live open handedly as a blessing to the nations. That would be a bold claim for a mere man to make, but it is a solid, reliable promise from God that you will find in His Word. Amen.

So Many Broken Hearts

It hurts when our heart is broken. When the first girl I thought I really loved snubbed me for another boy in my teens,  I was brokenhearted. When I was away at boot camp and found out that my long time girlfriend cheated on me,  I was brokenhearted. When I made a costly mistake and it seemed like there was nowhere to turn and the depression convinced me that everyone was better off without me around,  I was brokenhearted. When a company I loved being a part of was carved up and sold off to become a completely different environment,  I was brokenhearted. When a beloved pet became sick and there was nothing we could do to fix it,  I was brokenhearted. When I watched the movie The Passion of The Christ the first time,  I was brokenhearted. When I watched the person I loved and admired most in this life be overcome and taken away from me by cancer,  I was brokenhearted. Seeing friends lose loved ones (especially children), I have been brokenhearted alongside their deep grief and brokenheartedness.

If you live even just a little while on this earth, your heart will get broken. This you can count on.

For some,  it seems they have learned to brace themselves,  to harden their hearts, and thicken their skin so that pain doesn’t cut them as deeply. But I’ve never learned this skill. I still cry at sad movies, love songs,  beautiful stories,  and convicting sermons. And don’t get me started on those advertisements with the sad animals or starving children encouraging (or manipulating) us to send money.  Brokenheartedness seems to not just occasionally chase me down,  but to be always just under the surface each day.

There was a powerful moment of brokenheartedness in my life just after my daughter was first born. After worrying for way too long in advance that I might be a bad father, my daughter’s first grab of my finger latched hold off my heart in an indescribable way. At one point in the hospital,  someone needed to go by our house to check on our animals and to bring some extra supplies. But my heart and mind couldn’t even process the possibility of leaving the side of my wife and newborn daughter. I completely broke down right there in the hospital room, devastated at even the thought of it. I was brokenhearted in such a special and lovely way that day.

So I know what it means to be brokenhearted.

But I am still here. I am not crushed. I am not defeated. And neither are you.

I love this verse from the Psalms:

Psalms 34:18 NLT
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.34.18.NLT

In those moments of pain, our feelings seem to scream, telling us to avoid the pain of brokenheartedness, begging us to never let this happen again. It actually can feel emotionally like we are being crushed under the weight of a great burden when this happens. Everything in our flesh screams,  “Make it stop! Make it go away! This is TOO MUCH!”

But we can look back now on those times in the past, and see them more clearly. We survived it. And it wasn’t because there was no real threat to our hearts or no real pain. The pain was real, and it may have truly been more than we could handle.

Scripture tells us that in those moments of brokenheartedness,  we are not alone. It doesn’t even add “if you remember to call on me” or “if your faith is strong enough”. No, at those times of brokenheartedness,  there is no strength left in us. He draws closer to us,  not because of anything we’ve done to deserve His love. He draws near to us when our hearts are well tenderized — because that’s when we are closest to the likeness of God.

I watch my daughter go through this life just like my parents and grandparents watched me grow up. When she makes mistakes or decisions that I know may have negative consequences,  it hurts that I can’t just “fix it for her” like I did when she was a child. But she is a teenager and will soon be a young adult,  and I must allow her room to make mistakes and learn lessons. We can academically teach others what is wise versus what is foolish, but life is where the lessons are tested and proven.

I don’t want my daughter to be heartbroken,  but I intellectually know that it is a necessary part of life — even for her. Now,  I take that and multiply my heart towards my daughter and consider how an Almighty Heavenly Father who has all wisdom and understanding must feel watching all of humanity stumble it’s way through heartbreak and lesson, time after time.

I’m reminded of a favorite song for when I’m overwhelmed emotionally:

And it includes a wonderful quote from the John Piper sermon:

As many have been in the path of Hurricanes or wars or other emotional devastation lately, it encourages me that there is this promise from the Word of God that we aren’t alone,  and that it isn’t meaningless.

I love you my friends,  and if you are going through a dark time and need prayer or encouragement,  I can’t fix it,  but we can sit in the mud together,  reminding each other that we are not alone,  and that this too is working in our hearts something that we may not fully understand or appreciate right now.

A Bold Claim

It wasn’t always this way for me, but I can genuinely tell you that Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, is Lord.

I realize that it is a bold claim that this man that actually appeared in history (and split out calendar in two) has the full power, authority, and majesty of Almighty God. Regardless of how shocking, bold, reckless, foolish, or offensive this claim may seem to those who do not (yet) agree, it IS TRUE.

I also believe fully in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, as miraculous proof and confirmation of the promises the Word of God has made that we will be saved by His atoning Blood, that we will be made right weigh God,  that we will be in relationship with God, and that by the power of the very superior of God feeling with us (and in us) that we will be made new and whole and will live in God’s will.

I know that I am not perfect, and that I still make mistakes. I am still tempted to listen to my selfish desires, but I am no longer blind or powerless to be ruled by them. The areas in my life where I am still weak at times,  I can give God the glory for His mercy and grace towards me. And the areas where I can recognize that I have been strengthened, delivered and brought through addictions, depression, anxiety, greed, selfishness, and lust, I can give God the glory for making a way for me where there once was no way for me to overcome these giants that stole from my life.

Life as a believer still comes with its challenges,  and God is no genie that simply grants me my wishes when I ask. He is the wise heavenly Father who teaches me and guides me in what is best when I am willing to listen and walk with Him. And He loves me enough to discipline and correct me (in His patience and gentle kindness) when I have foolishly chosen a way that puts me in danger. Prayer can be a request for help after I’ve played the prodigal son who turned his back on wisdom to pursue foolishness, but it is much more effective as an ongoing friendship and conversation where He and I are walking together through this life of mine.

As I continue to know God more personally, I am challenged (and I am changed) by my appreciation for the purity of His character and nature. He is not like so many men who might consider themselves “righteous” or “powerful” (but who have no real righteousness or power,  just an overtaking of pride and ego). He is not looking down from on high hoping for an opportunity to oppress or crush or demand from us, but He is making wisdom available to those of us folks who are willing to come and see that there is a better Way.

As I reflect on the recent passing of my Uncle Jerry Ford, who was a wonderful man of God — I remember what I sent to my coworkers in our “PigOut BBQ Thursdays” chat group on Microsoft Teams as I headed to the funeral:

Uncle Jerry boldly proclaimed Jesus with his whole life — and when necessary,  he used words to do so. You may have heard the statement “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” that is often incorrectly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. There is a great warning in this statement against hypocrisy,  but it also can foster a false dichotomy between “speaking” and “doing”. For the believer and follower of The Way, there shouldn’t be “one or the other” but it should be “both”. We should be no less eager to love and serve our fellow man for the glory of God,  and we should be no less eager to speak boldly of our faith and of the glory of God.

Sadly, I can forget this sometimes, but I have loving men of God like my Uncle Jerry and so many others that pray for me and that stir me and encourage me to see this race to the end.

Thank you to each and every one of you who pray for me,  encourage me, and love and serve me (and my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ). May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may God’s face always shine upon you — in favor and goodness and mercy and power. Amen.