Disciplines for Life/An Appetite for God

From Gospel Translations

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For years now—decades, actually—I’ve enjoyed Sports Illustrated every week (except for the deplorable, pandering, exploitative swimsuit issue). When I get the mail on Thursdays, I tend to lose all awareness of the world around me. Time stops. Only something significant like an earthquake or the smell of chocolate could get my attention. I’ve been known to stand there at the mailbox for long periods of time, oblivious to everything but sports.

One Thursday a few years ago I was walking back from the mailbox, eager to sit down and read the latest issue, when I was interrupted by a clear impression in my spirit. Brief, quiet—but unmistakable. “You want to read that magazine more than my Word,” whispered the voice.

My initial reaction was to disagree and dismiss this as an unwarranted guilt trip. But with a sense of grief I recognized that God had spoken. And, as always, he was right.

Slowly, subtly, I had transferred my enthusiasm from God’s Word to Sports Illustrated and the daily sports page. It wasn’t that I had stopped spending time in the Word and prayer. Those remained consistent. But though my “eating habits” appeared healthy, my spiritual appetite was gone.

Our spiritual appetite is a product of our regeneration. If we don’t cultivate that desire, however, it gradually subsides. The result? Individuals who are dull of hearing and no longer pursue God and his purpose with the same intensity. They may be as faithful as ever in serving and attending meetings, but they’re no longer hearing God’s voice. They maintain the principles, but no longer experience God’s presence.

Most of us are very aware of our physical appetites. So are advertisers. Even if I’ve just gotten up from the dinner table, a seafood commercial can instantly make me hungry all over again. And when I’m at the local mall, the smell wafting out of Mrs. Field’s Cookies is devastating. Thirst works the same way—a hard game of basketball or a jalapeno pepper creates a serious need. At least three times a day I’m in touch with my physical appetites, or they are in touch with me.

But our spiritual appetites are less demanding. My soul doesn’t rumble and growl the way my stomach does when empty. Also, I can find myself deceived into assuming I have some vast, endless reserve of spiritual strength which will sustain me indefinitely. With that mindset, I could be suffering from spiritual malnutrition and not even know it.

Symptoms of Disease

In Matthew 5:6, Jesus provides us with a thermometer for checking our spiritual health: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Let’s be honest. How is your spiritual appetite at present? Are your devotions characterized by the intense desire Jesus describes in this verse? Has the past year seen an increase or decrease in your appetite for God, his presence, his righteousness, and his Word?

This exercise is not meant to condemn or provoke legalistic introspection (although it is meant to convict, where needed). God loves and accepts us on the basis of Christ’s finished work—period. Then, having laid a solid foundation of justification by grace through faith, God desires that we press on to develop our relationship with him. Just as we submit to periodic medical exams to check our physical health, we need to monitor our spiritual health at regular intervals. Loss of appetite, whether physical or spiritual, is symptomatic of disease. And where our hearts are involved, it is a “disease” that hides itself very well.

If your hunger has subsided, it is imperative that you seek God’s diagnosis and make whatever changes are necessary—no matter how drastic. Your condition requires immediate care.

As you seek God, he may reveal a specific sin. (If so, deal with it radically.) But often you will find that what has decreased your hunger and thirst for righteousness is a normally innocent activity, a typically harmless pastime. It’s not inherently evil, but it has become an evil for us, because we have allowed it to take too high a priority in our lives. We have adopted it as an idol, and the Lord himself is no longer our passion and priority. Instead, we spend our limited time and energy in the worship of false gods. Yet our God is a jealous God who will specifically confront anything that affects our passion for him.

The Scripture says, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles...” (He 12:1). In the next section we will look at some of the more subtle hindrances Christians often encounter. Prepare yourself to be challenged. And purpose in your heart now that nothing—absolutely nothing—will dull your appetite for God.

Time Bandits

The development of your spiritual life should take precedence over all else. If something is important to us, our schedules will reflect that, and a close look at how we spend our time is a sure indication of what we have built our lives around. So if we are not taking the necessary time to pursue God via the spiritual disciplines, it simply means some other activity has become more important to us.

Here are some of the activities which most frequently compete with what could otherwise be spiritually productive time:

Television. I can almost hear the groans. You don’t need me to tell you that Christians should exercise great care in choosing what we watch on TV. But it’s equally important to monitor how much we watch. For many of you, television is more of a habit than you would like to admit (and if you can’t admit it, you won’t change it).

It takes time to cultivate holiness. That’s why I’ve chosen not to get any of the cable-TV sports channels. For me it would be a daily temptation and distraction. It would interfere with my practice of the spiritual disciplines, and I don’t want that to happen.

What will it take for you? Disconnecting your cable service? Watching one football game on Sundays rather than two? Throwing the TV set into the nearest dumpster? Skipping television completely for a month? Take whatever action is necessary to make sure you have this habit under control.

At best, this week’s prime-time attraction will affect you for a week or two. By contrast, if you turn off the TV and spend that same time slot practicing the spiritual disciplines, you will be affected for eternity.

So go ahead—try it. All you’ll miss is the latest TV show or movie (most of which are well worth missing anyway). In its place you will be positioning yourself to hear the voice of God and experience intimacy with your Father.

Videos and movies. A few years ago I read a magazine article confirming my worst fears on the subject of videos, movies, and the church:

While Hollywood films have become an integral part of contemporary society, most Christians would say that they neither go to the movies nor watch television. Yet that assertion is a myth. Actually, most Christian households watch the same movies and the same television programming in the same percentages as non-Christians. The only difference is that Christians add a portion of religious programming to their viewing diet.^[2]

Ted Baehr, a Christian film critic quoted in the same article, says, “The overwhelming majority of Christians in the U.S. have the same media habits as the non-Christian population.”

Do you hear that? Not a handful of particularly weak believers, but the overwhelming majority. If this is accurate, it’s unacceptable.

It doesn’t surprise me that bored, directionless unbelievers constantly distract themselves with movies. But why is it that Christians are sitting bug-eyed in front of the big screen just as often?

Obviously, some movies are worth seeing. (Most of these, unfortunately, were done before 1950, so get used to enjoying black and white.) But if we were honestly to evaluate the majority of today’s films it would be two thumbs down. They simply lack redemptive qualities. They don’t contribute to our pursuit of godliness. In fact, they desensitize us to sin and subtly erode our desire to pursue God.

I have no desire to be the Church’s equivalent of Siskel and/or Ebert. Instead, let me encourage you to develop biblical criteria for evaluating movies. Here are two verses that will help you gain discernment regarding entertainment: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1Co 10:31). “[G]ive thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1Th 5:18).

Allow these biblical principles to sharpen your discernment and determine your viewing priorities. If you can’t watch a particular movie to the glory of God, don’t. If you can’t give God thanks for the TV show you’re watching, stop watching it.

Hobbies and sports. The biblically informed Christian recognizes that time for leisure is a gift from God. But that’s far different from “working for the weekend.” In a culture that curses Mondays and worships Fridays, we should continually assess whether our leisure time has taken on too high a priority.

I have no doubt God takes pleasure when a woman decorates her home, or a father attends a football game with his son. Yet as I listen to people rave on about their favorite hobby or a particular sports team, I sometimes discover a corresponding lack of passion for Jesus and the church. These enthusiasts apparently invest lots of time into this area of interest, but they just can’t seem to find time for the spiritual disciplines or regular participation in their local church.

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