Is Your Christian Life Working - Part 2
Part 2
Hunger For God and The Things of God
We talk and sing about having a hunger for God, but I'm convinced most of us don't really understand what that means. Because if we did understand what that meant, we wouldn't be living as we do. We'd be living much holier and godly lives. We'd be living more like Christ.
So what does the BIBLE mean when God talks about having a HUNGER for Him?
First, it is NOT just Bible knowledge, the Pharisees had that and they were NOT Holy before God and had not a clue what it meant to know God and have a hunger for the things of God. Jesus, who could see the hearts and thoughts of men, saw their hearts and what was ONLY a hunger for 2 things; the praise of men (Mt.23:5) and for money (Lk.16:14).
If we have these same two hungers, then there is NO hunger for God in our lives. Don't fool yourself into believing there is. God said you can't befriend God and befriend money (Lk.16:13 & I Tim.6:9-10).
Secondly, a hunger for God is NOT just singing and having a good ole time in some praise service. Religions of all types and flavors do that and it means nothing to God. All it means is that you like getting together with your friends and singing along with the popular religious tunes.
What then is a HUNGER for God?
It is seeking to know God in the Word of God. It is seeking to know Him personally and intimately, so we can obey and please Him more. The reason the Pharisees missed the boat, is because all the knowledge they accumulated was NEVER used to know God and to do HIS will.
Jesus defined eternal life as knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ (Jn.17:3). This term for "know" in the Greek language means to know experientially and continually.
Do we know God by experience because we walk with Him every day? We listen to Him and obey Him every day? We pour out our heart to Him and ask for continual help from Him every day because we realize that without His help, we will fail utterly in trying to please Him?
Secondly, to hunger for God means we have a sincere desire to follow Christ and be like Christ. THIS is where most people miss it.
Do we have a real sincere desire and EFFORT to think like Christ, live like Christ, respond like Christ, speak like Christ, AND suffer like Christ. As Paul put it, to "know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (Philip.3:10)
To have a hunger for Jesus Christ, means we have a hunger for EVERYTHING pertaining to Him. It means we want ALL of Christ. We want His SUFFERING just as much as we want His JOY. We cannot pick and chose what we want in Him and what we don't want. We want to know Him in plenty and in hardship. In WHATEVER He brings our way, we want to know Him, having the SAME attitude that He had when He went through these SAME trials and temptations (Heb.2:17; 4:15).
Here's the second KEY. Here's the way to tell if you REALLY want the things of God. To have a hunger for God, is to want ONLY the things of God and NOT the things of the world.
Do you want the things that the world also wants? Love, joy, peace, etc. Who on this earth doesn't want love, joy, peace, etc. Everybody wants those things.
Do you ALSO want what the world DOESN'T want? How about a hatred for the sin in YOUR life FIRST? The world likes to hate sin, it just has to be someone else's sin they hate. Do you hate your OWN sin with a passion?
Do you hate that YOU lust after women in your heart? The world loves to secretly lust after women.
Do you see and hate the PRIDE in YOUR life FIRST? The world hates pride in others, but NEVER sees and HATES the pride in their own heart.
Do you truly love humility and seek to be humble before God and man? Or does it bother you when you are humbled by others? The world loves humility in everyone else BUT themselves. When you are despised, forgotten, ignored, mistreated, slandered and treated as a NOBODY (like Christ was), does that bother you? (Mt.5:10-12) If so, you really don't have a hunger and love for the things of God.
Do your hate getting the praise and attention of men? Do you seek to do your deeds without anyone knowing about them, so you can receive no praise and thanks from anyone but God? (Mt.6:1-3)
Do you hate when you get angry with others for ANY reason? Are you quick to love and forgive others? Are you quick to show mercy and compassion to those who have injured you, especially when then are NOT aware that they hurt you or are NOT repentant of the fact that they did so?
Do you hate that you have a critical spirit? The world loves to be critical and condescending. Are you like the person who can see the tiny SPECK in another person's eye, but you can't see the huge LOG in your own eye? (Mt.7:3-5)
Do you hate that in your heart you are the friend of money? (Mt.6:19-24) The world doesn't! The world is the friend of money and unashamedly loves money. Man in his sinful unregenerate state loves the prestige and power that money gives. This is the single most dominant motivation in the lives of men and women today. That's why Jesus said you can ONLY serve God or mammon. You can't serve both! (Lk.16:13) The most religious people of Jesus time (the Pharisees) were the friends of money (Lk.16:14). This is just like it is today.
The Pharisees wrongly thought they could delight in God and in their money. Jesus said this idea is popular and highly thought of among men, but in God's eyes, it is DETESTABLE! (Lk.16:15)
So, how did YOU stack up to the life of Christ in these areas? Are you being TOTALLY honest about your true spiritual condition? That is ONLY way to please God.
Remember, the ONLY thing between the two thieves on the cross was HONESTY. Both thieves we sinners, only one was honest about their sin. ONLY the HONEST sinner joined Christ in paradise. (Lk.23:39-43)
So, you can start by being TOTALLY honest today about your spiritual condition. You can start today by repenting from any unChristlikeness.
You can make a brand NEW start today. If we are totally honest about our sin and confess it to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin. (I Jn.1:9)
Then we can humble ourselves before God and man and receive the grace of God. Grace and truth came only through Christ. (Jn.1:17) The grace of God and truth (reality) always go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.
Jesus Christ was the first helper, through which grace and truth came (Jn.14:16) When we ask for the Holy Spirit (the second helper, Jn.14:16-17) to give us grace, He also leads us into the truth concerning our true spiritual condition. That is God's formula necessary for true spiritual growth and holiness.
So, how much do you want of the things of God?
This question determines everything.
Hunger For God and The Things of God
We talk and sing about having a hunger for God, but I'm convinced most of us don't really understand what that means. Because if we did understand what that meant, we wouldn't be living as we do. We'd be living much holier and godly lives. We'd be living more like Christ.
So what does the BIBLE mean when God talks about having a HUNGER for Him?
First, it is NOT just Bible knowledge, the Pharisees had that and they were NOT Holy before God and had not a clue what it meant to know God and have a hunger for the things of God. Jesus, who could see the hearts and thoughts of men, saw their hearts and what was ONLY a hunger for 2 things; the praise of men (Mt.23:5) and for money (Lk.16:14).
If we have these same two hungers, then there is NO hunger for God in our lives. Don't fool yourself into believing there is. God said you can't befriend God and befriend money (Lk.16:13 & I Tim.6:9-10).
Secondly, a hunger for God is NOT just singing and having a good ole time in some praise service. Religions of all types and flavors do that and it means nothing to God. All it means is that you like getting together with your friends and singing along with the popular religious tunes.
What then is a HUNGER for God?
It is seeking to know God in the Word of God. It is seeking to know Him personally and intimately, so we can obey and please Him more. The reason the Pharisees missed the boat, is because all the knowledge they accumulated was NEVER used to know God and to do HIS will.
Jesus defined eternal life as knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ (Jn.17:3). This term for "know" in the Greek language means to know experientially and continually.
Do we know God by experience because we walk with Him every day? We listen to Him and obey Him every day? We pour out our heart to Him and ask for continual help from Him every day because we realize that without His help, we will fail utterly in trying to please Him?
Secondly, to hunger for God means we have a sincere desire to follow Christ and be like Christ. THIS is where most people miss it.
Do we have a real sincere desire and EFFORT to think like Christ, live like Christ, respond like Christ, speak like Christ, AND suffer like Christ. As Paul put it, to "know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (Philip.3:10)
To have a hunger for Jesus Christ, means we have a hunger for EVERYTHING pertaining to Him. It means we want ALL of Christ. We want His SUFFERING just as much as we want His JOY. We cannot pick and chose what we want in Him and what we don't want. We want to know Him in plenty and in hardship. In WHATEVER He brings our way, we want to know Him, having the SAME attitude that He had when He went through these SAME trials and temptations (Heb.2:17; 4:15).
Here's the second KEY. Here's the way to tell if you REALLY want the things of God. To have a hunger for God, is to want ONLY the things of God and NOT the things of the world.
Do you want the things that the world also wants? Love, joy, peace, etc. Who on this earth doesn't want love, joy, peace, etc. Everybody wants those things.
Do you ALSO want what the world DOESN'T want? How about a hatred for the sin in YOUR life FIRST? The world likes to hate sin, it just has to be someone else's sin they hate. Do you hate your OWN sin with a passion?
Do you hate that YOU lust after women in your heart? The world loves to secretly lust after women.
Do you see and hate the PRIDE in YOUR life FIRST? The world hates pride in others, but NEVER sees and HATES the pride in their own heart.
Do you truly love humility and seek to be humble before God and man? Or does it bother you when you are humbled by others? The world loves humility in everyone else BUT themselves. When you are despised, forgotten, ignored, mistreated, slandered and treated as a NOBODY (like Christ was), does that bother you? (Mt.5:10-12) If so, you really don't have a hunger and love for the things of God.
Do your hate getting the praise and attention of men? Do you seek to do your deeds without anyone knowing about them, so you can receive no praise and thanks from anyone but God? (Mt.6:1-3)
Do you hate when you get angry with others for ANY reason? Are you quick to love and forgive others? Are you quick to show mercy and compassion to those who have injured you, especially when then are NOT aware that they hurt you or are NOT repentant of the fact that they did so?
Do you hate that you have a critical spirit? The world loves to be critical and condescending. Are you like the person who can see the tiny SPECK in another person's eye, but you can't see the huge LOG in your own eye? (Mt.7:3-5)
Do you hate that in your heart you are the friend of money? (Mt.6:19-24) The world doesn't! The world is the friend of money and unashamedly loves money. Man in his sinful unregenerate state loves the prestige and power that money gives. This is the single most dominant motivation in the lives of men and women today. That's why Jesus said you can ONLY serve God or mammon. You can't serve both! (Lk.16:13) The most religious people of Jesus time (the Pharisees) were the friends of money (Lk.16:14). This is just like it is today.
The Pharisees wrongly thought they could delight in God and in their money. Jesus said this idea is popular and highly thought of among men, but in God's eyes, it is DETESTABLE! (Lk.16:15)
So, how did YOU stack up to the life of Christ in these areas? Are you being TOTALLY honest about your true spiritual condition? That is ONLY way to please God.
Remember, the ONLY thing between the two thieves on the cross was HONESTY. Both thieves we sinners, only one was honest about their sin. ONLY the HONEST sinner joined Christ in paradise. (Lk.23:39-43)
So, you can start by being TOTALLY honest today about your spiritual condition. You can start today by repenting from any unChristlikeness.
You can make a brand NEW start today. If we are totally honest about our sin and confess it to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin. (I Jn.1:9)
Then we can humble ourselves before God and man and receive the grace of God. Grace and truth came only through Christ. (Jn.1:17) The grace of God and truth (reality) always go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.
Jesus Christ was the first helper, through which grace and truth came (Jn.14:16) When we ask for the Holy Spirit (the second helper, Jn.14:16-17) to give us grace, He also leads us into the truth concerning our true spiritual condition. That is God's formula necessary for true spiritual growth and holiness.
So, how much do you want of the things of God?
This question determines everything.