tools for you
A Hungry Heart
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!" (Revelation 3:15 NIV).
"Seek the Lord and live!" (Amos 5:6) Haunting words for haunting times in Israel's history. The prophet Amos speaks for God to his people, Israel, hoping to awaken them from their complacent slumber and their spiritual ruin, yet Israel seems unaware that it is even in danger. Still maintaining a sense of religiousness (Amos 5:21), and still claiming that God is with them (5:14), they nevertheless "sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals" (2:6), and "oppress the poor" and "crush the needy" (4:1). By confronting Israel with their evil deeds and by bringing judgment on the surrounding nations (1:3-2:3), God attempts to make Israel self-aware, but their lukewarm, self-satisfied hearts just won't look in the mirror.
One of the reasons Jesus says, "I wish that you were either cold or hot" in Rev. 3:15 (NAS) is not so much for his benefit as it is for ours. Coldness or hotness toward God are often plain to see. But the lukewarm heart rarely knows that it is lukewarm. That's what is so insidious (and dangerous) about complacency: it rarely recognizes itself.
Consider Jesus' parable of the seed sown on different kinds of soil (Luke 8:4-14). One of the soils (hearts) described produces weeds that choke the seed. Jesus goes on to say that the worries, riches and pleasures of this life can likewise choke out the Word of God and stop our growth in him. Our hearts are fickle and short-sighted at times. An abundance of the riches and pleasures of this life can (and often does) subtly deceive our hearts, causing us to forget that we truly need God.
Do I Really Need God?
Need. As in, "This plant NEEDS water, or it will die." Do you NEED God? Proverbs 27:7 states the condition well:
"He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet."
Are you hungry for God? Or are you "full" of other things, whatever they may be?
To the full, even the sweetest things of God - the delight of his presence and comfort and blessing and love - may leave you cold. Maybe it's time for a spring cleaning! Ask the Lord to remove the things that have too much of your heart, and to renew your passion and delight in him.
To the hungry, even the hard sayings of God, the call to being a living sacrifice, the "Ugh" that almost always accompanies walking by faith - even these things have a certain sweetness about them: the unmistakable aroma and flavor of the One who is, Himself, life and grace and peace.
O taste and see that the Lord is good!
selah
pause. meditate.
- Luke 8:14-15 (NIV)
- The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
