SPIRITUAL JUNK FOOD
One Sunday morning in Brossard, Quebec, a five-year-old boy and his three-year-old sister climbed into the family van and headed to McDonald’s for breakfast—with no adults. As mom and dad slept, they snatched their parents’ keys and drove nearly a mile. The boy had to practically lie down in order to reach the gas pedal, occasionally popping up to see where he was going. A cashier at a gas station next door to McDonald’s was shocked when she saw a “driverless” van approach. Then to her amazement, the door opened and two small children in pajamas and bare feet climbed out. The five-year-old boy later told police, “I had my seat belt on, and so did my sister. I’m not going to go to prison.” (Source: Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God Student Edition)
I suppose their craving for Egg McMuffins “drove” these youngsters to behave badly. But they’re not alone. Ever start with a bag of chips, and before you can say “Doritos,” you’ve emptied the sack and you’re looking for more? There’s a reason. Food companies spend millions of dollars annually hiring “crave consultants” to determine the precise combination of sugar, fat, and salt, so we’ll struggle with putting it down.
What if we trained ourselves to crave the right stuff in life instead of spiritual junk food? Jesus said we are blessed if we “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). In Psalm 63:1 David expresses his craving for God. “Earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” Jesus sums it up in John 6:35. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Only Jesus can fill the emptiness in our souls.
It’s a paradox. The more we hunger for Jesus, the more he fills us. The more he fills us, the more we hunger. The more we hunger, the more he fills us. And… you get the picture. It’s a delicious, fulfilling unending cycle. It’s the only hunger that satisfies us, and at the same time leaves us wanting more. We can gorge ourselves on Jesus with no regrets. But gorging our appetites on the junk food of the world only leaves us empty—or worse, with a belly full of remorse.
Principle: Only Jesus fills the hunger in our souls.
Ponder:
What spiritual junk food does the world offer that I have a hard time resisting?
What spiritual practices fill the spiritual hunger in my soul, and yet leave me wanting more?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Psalm 63.
Prayer: “Lord, like a worm on a hook, Satan dangles the spiritual junk food of this world in front of me. Please remind me that it offers no fulfillment, only regrets.
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