Savoring Satisfaction

I struggled this week with what to write. Somehow I knew the answer would come at church this morning. I was right.

Our pastor, Steve Chiles , is in the middle of a six part sermon series that examines who Jesus said He is. Today Pastor Steve spoke on “I Am . . . The Bread Of Life!” I thought I would share (with his permission) some of the insights of today's three hankie sermon.

To begin, the main Scripture reference is John 6:25-35. I won’t print it here but you can follow the link. Steve made two main points based on those verses: 1.) He (Jesus) wants us to look to Him as the true source of satisfaction; and, 2.) He wants us to learn to savor Him.

Amid an unruly chorus of “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” Pastor Steve noted that most of what we seek for satisfaction is simply medication. We look for Mr. or Miss Right in all the wrong places. We fill our time up with busy-work and “holic-isms” (my word) and miss out on the One Who can satisfy our every need. Remember the verse “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”? (Psalm 37:4 NIV) I thought I had matured when I realized it didn’t mean "love God and He will give you what you want the most,” but instead meant “put God first in all things and He will place within you what your heart needs to desire, longs to desire.” Sounds pretty good, huh?

I had an epiphany this morning when Steve shared how the Lord had opened his eyes. “He (God) is not a MEANS to what your heart is looking for; HE IS what your heart is looking for!” I draw near to Him and HE IS the desire of my heart. He gives Himself to me freely. All I have to do is open the door. Powerful!

The second point--He, Jesus, wants us to learn to savor Him--also hit home. I have my quiet time each morning. My dog, Mack, and I have a routine involving Scripture, a devotional, prayer and yogurt—Mack’s favorite part. I’ve learned my day will not be as it should be, or as it could be if I neglect to begin it with my Abba. This doesn’t make me extra pious, it's just that I’ve learned a few things in my fifty years on the planet. But the savor part, that was new—“to enjoy something with unhurried appreciation.”

And then Steve made this telling statement: “We say Jesus is the Bread of Life, but treat Him like fast food.” Ouch! But I have to work for a living. I have to be at work on time. People depend on me. Then my pastor asked, “What does God dream?” If I knew Him well enough, I would know that answer. The point being, when we savor Him, we truly come to know Him. And the only way to know someone is to spend time with him.

That led to the next point—when we savor Him, we move from salvation to transformation. And we aren’t transformed by walking with Him across the street. We need to walk the whole journey with Him, every step of the way. With that in mind, read 2 Corinthians 3:18. I just love it when familiar Scripture becomes new again.

Steve’s final thought was when we savor Jesus, His life flows in us and through us. Think about how Peter’s mere shadow flowed with healing power ( Acts 5:15-16) My shadow only offers shade.

So, tomorrow morning, I want my first thought to be, in the words of King David, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” No more nibbling at the Bread of Life and hurrying on with my day. That diet is over. From now on, I want to savor my Savior. May you find satisfaction at His table as you linger to savor His goodness.

Abundant blessings!