“For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.” (Matt. 26:11)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)
Which hunger do you have more often, that of the needs of the flesh or of the spirit and which do you feed on a regular basis?
They will not only both grow weak if you do not feed them, but if you feed them improperly they will not flourish and grow much less maintain the abilities they were intended to have.
In the nation I live in there is an epidemic of obesity, but if you will look with your spiritual eyes, you will see leanness, famine, millions dying of starvation. And if you see this truth, you will see, it is by their own choice.
“But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” (John 4:32)
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4)
It is a difficult statement to ponder, can one truly be born-again who does not apply themselves to studying the Word of God, can one truly be saved whose only time they hear the Word of God is in that pew on Sunday morning, who has no desire to read the Scriptures, and that on a daily basis?
The correlation is simple and easily seen, if you do not eat for an entire day you will be weak, but for some reason it does not seem to register in some who profess to know the Lord Jesus Christ that if they are not daily in His Word, the spirit grows weaker. If they are not doing so, what claim can they give that the Holy Spirit is within them?
No one can be a doer of the Word if they are not hearers of it, those who do not study the Word of God cannot show themselves approved, they can give no viable account of their faith to those who ask it of them. There is a famine in their soul, and it is by their own lack of obedience that it comes upon them.
I will be blunt here, if there is no joy for you in reading the Scriptures, if you do not find great anticipation in looking forward to the times available to you to read His Word, if you do not relish in the feeding of your soul from the Word of God, you are probably not saved.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27)
Does not a hungry man begin to salivate when he smells his favorite food? Does he not move with anticipation towards it when it is offered to him? Does he not find joy in consuming it and is content when he is full?
Look in the mirror with your spiritual eyes, do you see firm flesh or bones protruding, do you see someone strong and healthy, or someone dying of starvation?
Here is the point in this short letter where some will begin to feel the pangs of guilt, they will make promises to themselves, but in a few days at best will forget they are starving.
I wonder, how many times did the disciples need to remind the Lord Jesus Christ that He needed to eat something?
Starving men will die, their flesh will cease to function, without the continuous pursuit of the Lord Jesus Christ you will also die, without His Word feeding your soul, you will slowly starve. And the saddest part is that many who profess to follow Him are starving and do not even realize it.
One who has a great love for His Word gives little thought to that meal as it is being prepared, it is appreciated, and thanks are given for it, but it is more of an interruption than anything else.
“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” (John 4:10)
