A New Way of Living by Gene Wilkes

Author:Gene Wilkes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New Hope Publishers
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

The Promise

Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied. It was the very reason He came to earth—to fill the emptiness in our souls and to satisfy our deepest longings. The word satisfied means to be filled continually as at a banquet table or family feast. That makes me think of Thanksgiving at our house. This is when all the family cooks come together to make, bake, and mash their personal bests in the kitchen. We gather around the table(s) in a big circle with those who could travel to make the day, and someone reads Psalm 100 from the family Bible. I remember the first time my father asked me to read for the family. I felt I had found my place among the spiritual leaders of my clan. I also remember the year I asked my oldest daughter to read for the family. That was a special day of blessing for her and a way to pass on a spiritual tradition to her family. Once we have shared what we were thankful for that year, we stuff ourselves sinfully, sit back and are thankful we are filled up! And you know what? I love every moment of it! Not another day of the year satisfies me like Turkey Day.

But food alone does not give you a feeling of fullness. When I have a good workout, I feel satisfied. Finishing a weight circuit or laps in the pool, I am satisfied physically. After I have sat with Kim, my wife, and watched an episode of our favorite television series, I am satisfied emotionally. When I have spent time with my grandchildren, although I am tired and I still have to put up tricycles and toys, I am filled with the fullness of being a grandparent. When I leave coffee and conversation with a friend and we have talked about everything from his soul to our plans to climb a 14er together, I am filled with the reality of friendship. Fullness comes in all kinds of packages. The Bible speaks of fullness too.

When Matthew recorded how the 5,000 felt after they had eaten what Jesus blessed and passed out to them via the disciples, he wrote, “And they all ate and were satisfied” (Matthew 14:20). This word for satisfied is the same one Jesus used in this beatitude. In Paul’s famous declaration, he declared he had learned to be content when he was “well fed”; the same word Jesus used to describe those who would sit at His table of righteousness (Philippians 4:12). Paul also announced he had learned to be content in poverty, wealth, and hunger. This mysterious condition came from his unwavering confidence that he could do “all things through him” who gave him strength. The writer of the Psalms sang: I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you (Psalm 63:4–5, italics mine).

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