WHAT RUINS YOUR APPETITE
«God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied» (Matthew 5:6, NLT).
One night I went out to eat with three friends I had not seen in a long time. We chose a Lebanese restaurant and called the previous day to make a reservation. Then, I started thinking about the delicacies that awaited me: hummus, falafel, rice-stuffed grape leaves, baba ganoush . . . Mmm! My mouth starts watering by merely writing this sentence. Since I wanted to make sure I would enjoy dinner to the fullest, I ate very little that day. I only had a fruit for breakfast and a small sandwich for lunch, so as to not ruin my appetite. By the time I got to the restaurant, my stomach was rumbling with hunger. Dinner was truly delicious; every flavor was magnified by the wait and anticipation.
Susan Wesley, mother of famous English reformer Charles Wesley, defined sin as follows: «Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself» (as quoted in Hambre por su Palabra [Hunger for His Word], by Miguel Nüfiez). Sin is anything that ruins your appetite! It is anything that makes you come to God’s table without feeling hungry, underestimating the Bread of life.
Which things take away your appetite for prayer and the Word of God? What numbs your soul’s taste buds? Jesus said, «God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied» (Matthew 5:6, NLT). At first glance, it would seem illogical for those who hunger to be «happy» or «blessed,» instead of those who are already full. However, as the words of a famous tango say, «Those who don’t cry, don’t get fed.» Only those who feel hungry ask for food.
We are blessed, tremendously happy, when we are starving and sit at God’s table, or numbed our spiritual hunger with junk food.
Dear Lord, help me discover what is competing with my appetite Your Word and Your presence. I want to give up any activity takes away my hunger for You. Purify my soul’s taste buds so I will learn to appreciate what is good. Remind me that I do not live from bread alone, but by every word that comes from Your mouth.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.