Someone has said, "nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity". On the lighter side someone asked, "do vegetarians eat animal crackers?" Eating and drinking, we spend a lot of time talking about it and participating in it. It's a necessity.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). A few days without food and even a shorter time without water produces some strong cravings. How intense the desires are to meet the needs of the flesh. We will listen when the body speaks. We will meet the need on a regular basis and no inconvenience will prevent us from meeting those needs. Sometimes we even wait in long lines and pay premium prices for what we want. The seating may not be the best, the cook may not be our best friend and there may be relative or a neighbor present that hasn't spoke to us in months, and perhaps a hypocrite or two are seated nearby, and we know for a fact they don't really like what's being served, but none of things keep us from going to that restaurant and enjoying the food.

Jesus of course speaks of a different kind of hunger and thirst. The flesh must be fed and cared for, because it is a part of our nature. But when that is all we are, we have missed the purpose for our existence. When we have no hunger for a relationship with our God, and when we long not for His truth in our life, we end up spiritually malnourished. Life get's out of balance. A beautiful Psalm says, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for thee, O God" (Ps.42:1). The deer must have the water or it dies. Are we listening?

We go to work, eat and drink, and sleep. Tomorrow the process starts over. Then one day we wake up and realize something is missing. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied". He offers us what we need.

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