“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 NASB
HOW TO SATISFY YOUR DEEPEST HUNGER
Acknowledge your hunger
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied.” Luke 6:21 NASB
We must understand what we are hungering for before we find the source of satisfaction
- Casual longings: Comfort, convenience, car, job, things that lead to temporary satisfaction
- Critical longings: Deep relationships, friendships, marriage; these are very important yet not crucial (Jesus, John the Baptist, Jeremiah)
- Crucial longings: A God created hunger and longing, that if not met we starve and become empty inside
Two crucial longings in every human heart that only God can satisfy:
- Security: An awareness that I am loved without needing to earn it
- Significance: The realization that my life has meaning, purpose, and impact
Give up false imitations to satisfy your hunger and thirst
“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance.” Isaiah 55:1-2 NASB
“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38 NASB
Whatever satisfies your crucial longings (security and significance) is your functioning God. We worship what satisfies and meets our longings.
“Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21 NASB
Look to Jesus to satisfy your deepest longings and hunger
“You have made us for Yourself, and our souls are restless until they rest in You.” Augustine
“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give for the life of the world also is My flesh.” John 6:51 NASB
Colossians 3:16-17 NLT:
- “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.”
- “Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”
- “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”