HUNGRY IS A GOOD THING

PROVERB 27:7 NKJ 
7 A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, 
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 

OBSERVATION: 

At first glance, this verse does not appear to be right. Don't we want to be satisfied in our souls? Isn't that what God wants for us? 

A better word for satisfied is full. To the soul that is full, even a honeycomb, the candy of that day is not desirable.   

But to the hungry soul, even things that are bitter taste sweet.   

The key here is the condition of our soul, our inner man. When we are full, we are not as interested in the things of God. When our lives are filled with stress, worries, stuff, and things that don't have much value, then reading the Bible becomes a chore.   

Jesus mentioned this condition or something similar when He spoke of the ground that was full of thorns and weeds. If our lives are too consumed with stuff here on earth, we won't have much room for God. See Mark 4:19.   

So, the big question then becomes, what are we full of? Stay with me here because I know where that question can lead.   

Maybe a better question is, what are we hungry for? When we have a hunger for God, we enjoy reading the Bible. My sermons sound much better, and there is a discernable interest in the things of God.   

APPLICATION: 

We sang a song in the early days of the church that said, stir up a hunger in my heart; nothing can satisfy me, nothing else will do. It was a song about stirring up a hunger for God.   

It was a good song, but an even better thing to actually do. Stirring up a hunger for God will pay rich dividends. God satisfies the hungry soul. He fills the hungry soul with good things, but the full walk away empty. (Luke 1:53) 

When it comes to the spiritual things of God, hungry is good.  

PRAYER: 

Dear Father, show me how to stir up a hunger in my heart for You and your things.