>>>
Matthew 5:6 - Craving and Yearning For God - The Ultimate Valentine!

Matthew 5:6 - Craving and Yearning For God - The Ultimate 
Valentine! 

Matthew 5:6 (MSG) You're blessed when you've worked up a good 
appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.  

INTRODUCTION

   "Dad, I'm still hungry!" How many times have I heard those 
words? When my son was going through a growth spurt as a kid, it was 
unbelievable how much he could eat. He would literally get up from the dinner 
table, rinse his plate, walk into the living room, and say, "Dad, can I 
get something to eat? I'm still hungry." Our grocery bill was 
through the roof. 
   These memories bring a smile to my face, and they also make 
me think. Our heavenly Father has designed us, his children, to 
hunger and thirst for more and more of him. He built that into us so we 
would seek him out to help us soothe the deep ache inside us that 
nothing else can satisfy. I kind of think that's a really big deal - the 
Creator of the universe has gone to such lengths to draw me to him and 
keep me there in his presence. 
   Someone once said, "You cannot tell a hungry child that you 
gave him food yesterday." In the same way, I am learning that I 
cannot tell my hungry spirit that I ate yesterday. I have to go to the 
Father daily so that he can feed me. He wants us to be filled with the 
food that only he can provide. 
   Father God, I can't imagine why you love me so much, but I'm 
glad you do. Thank you for providing food for my soul. In Jesus' 
name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by John & Johnny 
Baker] 

COMMENTARY

To hunger and thirst for righteousness ultimately means that one 
hungers and thirsts for God. And those who long for God - the real God, 
not a false deity of their own imagination - will find Him and be 
filled. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley] 

A mark of the Spirit within us is a hunger to live out the will 
of God. Without God's energizing, sustaining, and closeness our 
fulfillment in life grows weak. By feeding on His presence and guidance, our 
lives grow and mature. [Disciple SB] 

   No human agent can supply that which will satisfy the hunger 
and thirst of the soul. But Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the 
door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will 
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." "I am the 
bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that 
believeth on Me shall never thirst." Revelation 3:20; John 6:35....  
   As we need food to sustain our physical strength, so do we 
need Christ, the Bread from heaven, to sustain spiritual life and 
impart strength to work the works of God. As the body is continually 
receiving the nourishment that sustains life and vigor, so the soul must 
be constantly communing with Christ, submitting to Him and 
depending wholly upon Him....  
   As we discern the perfection of our Saviour's character we 
shall desire to become wholly transformed and renewed in the image of 
His purity. The more we know of God, the higher will be our ideal of 
character and the more earnest our longing to reflect His likeness....  
   The words of God are the wellsprings of life. As you seek 
unto those living springs you will, through the Holy Spirit, be 
brought into communion with Christ. MB18-21 

Man becomes in Christ all that God requires a man to be, all 
that he could never be in himself. . . . The faith thus exercised 
brings the soul into vital union with God in Christ, and inevitably 
produces righteousness of life, that is, conformity to the will of God." 
(Vine's Expository Dictionary) 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Come to Me with your gaping emptiness, knowing that in Me you 
are complete. As you rest quietly in My Presence, My Light within 
you grows brighter and brighter. Facing the emptiness inside you is 
simply the prelude to being filled with My fullness. Therefore, rejoice 
on those days when you drag yourself out of bed, feeling sluggish 
and inadequate. Tell yourself that this is a perfect day to depend 
on Me in childlike trust. If you persevere in this dependence as 
you go through the day, you will discover at bedtime that Joy and 
Peace have become your companions. You may not realize at what point 
they joined you on your journey, but you will feel the beneficial 
effects of their presence. The perfect end to such a day is a doxology 
of gratitude. I am He from whom all blessings flow! [2 Cor. 4:6; 
Mat. 5:3, 6; Col. 2:9, 10; Psa. 150:6] [Jesus Calling by Sarah 
Young] 

ILLUSTRATION

   Former publisher of the New York Post J. David Stern was 
sometimes accused of being absentminded. He denied it, of course.  
   Once, as Stern walked down Fifth Avenue on his way to a 
meeting, he was approached by one of his old friends, who said, "David, 
come have lunch with me."  
   Stern looked at his watch, shook his head, and said, "I'd 
love to, but I can't. I'm already running a bit late for a meeting." 
 
   "Oh, come on, you can spare a few minutes for an old friend, 
can't you?"  
   "Well, all right, as long as we go somewhere nearby. I really 
do have to move along as quickly as possible."  
   The two men entered a restaurant, and as Stern ordered, he 
wondered aloud what could be the matter with him. "I am not a bit hungry 
today for some reason."  
   "Well, that's unusual for you, David," said his friend. 
   "I beg your pardon, sir," said the waiter, "but you just 
finished eating lunch here about ten minutes ago."  
   Sometimes I think we tend to be spiritually absentminded too. 
We come to the feast of the Word of God on Sabbath morning, but by 
midafternoon we have already forgotten what we ingested, and we go on our way 
as if we had not partaken of the richness of his grace.  
   Instead of being hungry for righteousness, we hunger after 
wealth or power, and that hunger can never be satisfied. The more we 
partake of those earthly "foods," the more of them we want. Just like 
empty calories - they never really satisfy. But when God's Word and 
his righteousness fill us completely, we will never be hungry again. 
 
   Dear Lord, please grant me greater hunger and thirst for you. 
And then fill me, Lord, with your love and grace. Amen. [The One 
Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter by Mary Hollingsworth] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20051017-1042.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782

Musical Devotional On Christian Living: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c  

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDY:

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/

LINKS FOR PROPHECY SEMINARS:

The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor: 
http://www.lastdayofprophecy.com/ 
[March 21-26, 2016: Charlotte, NC in person with live streaming 
and multiple outreach locations] 

Revelation Today by Pastor John Bradshaw: 
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/  

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657