Cravings

Yesterday morning in the 9:30 service Pastor Jess challenged us to proactively think on things that we crave. Many things were said and listed, not the least of which was the unbelievably scrumptious looking cinnamon roll he heated, and then ate - in front of the rest of us, I might add!

I later begin to think on the things that I crave: awesomely wonderful things such as fried chicken, a 10,000 foot mountain with 12" of fresh powder and no one else to get in my way, a tall glass of iced tea (that was today's craving), music that brings back good memories, a hug from my 5 year old, a hug from my wife, a good night's sleep, 30 minutes in the jet tub with a good book, popcorn when I'm at the movies, and so much more.

I then began to think on the intagibles that tend to cause my mind to wander and long for: wisdom, Christ-likeness, a pure mind, humility, patience, durability and faithfulness. My next thought carried me to this question: am I willing to pay the price to attain these attributes in my life? It is one thing to long and crave something that brings satisfaction and pleasure to us, but it is quite another when that object of our eye and mind has a cost attached to it - and sometimes a quite expensive one at that.

Christ has called us to a life of craving Him - longing for Him as a parched man thirsts for water, running and chasing him as a lover would pursue his love until his dying day, desperately searching for the one he has given his life to. This bold, passionate pursuit of God does not come easy nor without a price. It costs to be a bold, reckless lover of God. The price of this love affair must be at the expense of everything that comes naturally to us. In short, we must die to ourselves and that is a price many people are not willing to pay. The cost presents itself in our attitudes, actions, desires, thoughts and the words that we speak.

So, what do we do with those longings for holiness, time spent one-on-one with our Maker, those desires to please Him. Are they fleeting or are they burning within with no remedy except to surrender our will to Him, the lover of our souls, with no care or thought of the price it requires?

May we crave the eternal things of God more than we would something that will only present an extremely temporary satisfaction. The great thing about this craving God factor is that we get the best of both worlds, the natural and the spiritual - we get our tea and get to drink it too, so-to-speak. AWESOME!

Que Dios Le Bendiga