You know how it is when you go to the restaurant and you aren’t really hungry?

You look at the menu and mutter, “Let’s see now … ‘rib-eye steak.’ Nah, doesn’t sound good. ‘Lasagna?’ Nope, not in the mood. ‘Enchiladas?’ (This place has a varied menu). No, my stomach couldn’t handle the hot stuff today. ‘Hamburgers?’ Too fattening.”

The waitress taps her foot, pencil poised to scribble your order as you peruse fifty possibilities. Nothing sounds good. “They just don’t have much choice in this place,” you grumble.

The next week you go to a cafeteria, Luby’s for example. You’re ravenously hungry as you look over the possibilities before you.“I’ll take potatoe salad and green salad,” you tell the serving ladies, slowly gathering steam like a freight train. “And give me some beef stew, and oh, yeah, how about some chicken-fried steak? I believe I’ll try the spagetti too. Some chicken and rice would be good. Then some green beans, corn, French fries. Spinach? Why not? (You’re on a roll). I’ll take the Boston Cream pie, too. And some banana pudding, and some coconut cake. Yes, put one of those pickles on there too.”
The harried ladies waiting on you have to go for a break after they’re finished serving you, they are so tired. You have to make three trips to get all your food to the table. It costs so much that your credit card starts to smoke when the cashier puts it into the machine to pay your bill.

What was the difference? You were hungry.

It’s like that with God. Notice the verbs in these verses. (I’ve underlined them for those who slept in English class).

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. (Prov. 2, NIV).

This fellow desires something from God. There’s nothing “ho-hum” about his attitude. He’s famished.

What are you hungry for? What’s on your menu?

I woke up a bit early Monday, and lay awhile in bed thinking about the weekend’s football games. It was one of those rare times when both of my favorite football teams won. (It’s good to play St. Mary’s School for Women in order to get a victory now and then. :))

Then I wondered. Do I spend as much time thinking about God, ruminating about God, hungering to know the Lord better as I do thinking and reading about sports and other hobbies?

Passion inspires growth because it compels you to spend you time pursing excellence in the area you’re excited about.

When Solomon wrote Proverbs chapter two he was passionate about God. The benefits of knowing Him enticed this king. Listen to what treasures are in store for those who pursue a deeper comprehension of God–wisdom, knowledge and understanding (2:6, 9); you’ll know what direction to take and how to live your life; you’ll have an intimate knowledge and friendship with Jesus; victory and protection will be yours (2:7,8) ; you’ll be saved from crooked business deals and the temptations of illicit sexual relationships (2:12-20).

You’ll still be standing at the end of the game when those who weren’t so smart in God’s ways have fallen (2:21, 22).

But how does this knowledge of God come? By faith. Hungrily we read and meditate on His Word so we’ll understand what to do. Eagerly we get together with other Christians to hear what they are learning about God. Passionately we spend time in prayer and worship so that the Holy Spirit can teach us about God.

Faithfully we serve Him, viewing each challenge in life as an opportunity to grow into a bigger person in order to meet even greater challenges in the future. We commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His church. We want to be faithful in order to encourage the person running alongside us.

God has some succulent dishes on the menu. Are you hungry?

Prayer—Lord make me hungry for You and your ways. Help me be excited about the things that excite You. Challenge my heart with the benefits of knowing You more and more intimately. Because I do love You Lord. In Jesus’ Name.

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Think about it–

Zig Ziglar calls TV the “income reducer and the morality buster.” Jim Rome says that “poor people have big TVs, rich people have big libraries.” (source Mountain Wings)

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I think my blood pressure must have risen one night a couple of weeks ago, when I was watching a basketball game. It’s normal to get upset, though, when the referees are so obviously prejudiced towards the other team.

I didn’t sleep very well that night, nor two nights later when my team lost again.

Then one night this week, I watched a shoot-em-up western before I went to bed. Lots of injustice from the bad guy, who was really bad. The good cowboy won in the end though and got the girl, which is the way life works when it’s working right (my preference anyway). People like westerns because of the advanced problem-solving techniques of the cowboys; if things don’t go your way—shoot! My heart rate got up again because the bad guy didn’t get it until right at the last. Before that good guys and bad guys were running and shooting in all directions.

Didn’t sleep too well that night either.

I’ve decided that if I’m going to snooze, it’s better not to get too worked up right before bedtime.

Course that’s not the only thing that keeps me twisting and turning in the middle of the night. Problems seem to do it pretty well. Thoughts and feeling that I dominate during the day seem to wake me up and run wild in the middle of the night. The Lord is teaching me to trust Him, but I was kind of hoping that I would have this faith thing down pat by now.

In reality, I think that’s just what happens when you feel strongly about things in life. Imagine how it would be if your attitude were:

“Oh, well, my team just lost for the thirty-third time in a row. But at least they’re polite to the other teams.”

“Sure, I lost my job today. But that’s life, you know? Wonder what we’re having for dinner.”

“Yes, honey. Little junior got mad and beat up three classmates today. Uh, huh. He was kicked out of school for the foreseeable future. But he’s a good kid. Let’s not be too hard on him, even if this is the fifth time this has happened.”

Try these:

“Yes, the boss said he liked my work. He’s tripling my salary. That’s kind of nice, isn’t it?”

“The Boston Red Sox won the World Series? What the big deal? They win it all the time don’t they?”

Passion is AWOL in all these examples. We don’t live like that.

Now, some of you ladies can’t understand why in the world anyone would be excited about sports. And you guys don’t get too worked up by new curtains, do you? The things that excite us —positive or negative — reveal a lot about us. What turns your crank? Fishing/hunting, politics, family, job? Or in the Church, maybe it’s our project for the Lord or the choir or … All of that is good and can even be excellent.

But I’ve been asking myself a few questions. “When is the last time I lost sleep because I was burdened for someone who didn’t know the Lord?”

Do I get so excited singing God’s praises that I can’t sleep? The Psalmist was so full of the Lord’s joy that it seems he sometimes sang out as he lay upon his bed (I’ll bet Mrs. Psalmist really jumped when he did that).

“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.” (Ps. 149:5, KJV)

Do I get passionate about spending time in the presence of God in prayer, worship, and in His Word? Busy Martha ran about the kitchen trying to get all the kosher food ready for their special guest. The harder she worked the madder she got. Where was Mary? This was her responsibility too! Finally Martha stalked out to get her little sister.

“Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!” (Luke 10:40, The Message).

Peter, James, and John might have agreed with Martha as the good smell from the kitchen set their stomachs to growling.

But the Lord would have none of it. He replied kindly,

” … Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41, 42).

Am I so passionate for the Lord’s presence that I would rather be with Him than to eat?

Here is a question we should all ask ourselves. “What am I so passionate about, that it causes me to lose sleep?” The answer to that tells us a lot about ourselves.

Think about it

“Your days are your life in miniature. And as you live your days, so you create your life.” (Unknown. Taken from Roger Lewis’ devotional)

Prayer team

• Some readers have passed along the French version of Coffee Stains to some young Muslim men in Burkina Faso and in Niger. Pray that God touch their hearts and save them.
• A school of evangelism for young people is opening in Paris shortly. They need our prayers for finances and the myriad of details that opening such a school entails. Pray for the program which is named CIJEM Force.
• France rolls up the sidewalks and heads for the beaches in thesummer. Pray that people will be challenged with the Good News of Jesus as they are on vacation. Lord, touch and save.