Okay … so I’m on a diet! I know, it is not a fun topic of conversation. Have you ever noticed that people who are on a diet, talk about it all the time? I am guilty too, so you have to listen a bit. Things that would not have tempted me in the past, are huge temptations to me today. Just the other day, my wife was having a banana while we were riding in the car … I have never smelled such a glorious smell in my life! As we are driving (which we do a great deal), I hear a plastic container in the back seat rolling around. In that container are some of the most glorious things on the face of the earth … Tom Sturgis mini pretzels! Each one, as it hits the side of the plastic container is calling my name!
When a person is on a diet, some of the most common things become incredibly desirable. When we have not had something we enjoyed before for a long time, it becomes something we truly desire, and something we cannot wait to have again. This is not only true of physical food, but of spiritual food. Sometime “life” gets in the way of my spiritual intake. I find myself missing spiritual meals, or hurrying through a spiritual meal so quickly that I don’t even remember what it was that I just read. Or, a busy schedule forces me to quickly hustle through Scripture with no time for the Holy Spirit to do the work He needs to do in my life.
Today I read, “I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments” (Psalm 119:133). I want this to be true of me. Just like I crave milk and pretzels (don’t judge until you have tried it … it’s amazing) while on my diet, I want to crave the intake of the Word of God into my soul. I want to be as a baby bird waiting for the mother bird to return with food. I want to have my mouth opened wide for God to fill me with His truths, His words, and His thoughts. I need to know the mind and heart of God today, and I do not want to depend on someone else to give it to me. I want to be a student of the commandments of God’s Word myself so that I can be filled with what He wants for my life. How about you today? Are you depending on a short devotional like this today for what you will need for the day? This devotional will not be enough. I am thankful that many of you read these, and are encouraged and challenged by them, but this is simply an appetizer! God has a main course waiting for you in your own Bible. He can fill you and satisfy the longings of your heart far better than I could ever hope to do. I trust that today, you will open your heart and pant for the Word of God. God will give you the truths you need for the things you are facing today from His Word.