Psalm 119:103

Food always tastes better when you’re hungry, doesn’t it?

You might know what it feels like to be spiritually hungry.  The personal “should have’s” and “shouldn’t have’s” we all struggle with each day have a draining quality to them.  The conscience God has given us often growls like an empty stomach.  Even if we aren’t keeping track of where we’ve fallen short of God’s holy commandments, he is.  The only place to satisfy the pangs of a hungry conscience and find true peace with God is in the forgiveness Jesus won for us.

That forgiveness is yours, today and always.  By his suffering and death on the cross, Jesus has swallowed every “should have” and every “shouldn’t have” on your record.  By his resurrection from the dead, he has given you life with him, life free from the guilty verdict we all deserve, life that will last forever.

Now he packages this forgiveness for you and me in a variety of ways: in Baptism, in Communion, and in the Scripture.  Every time we go to church he lays out a rich banquet for us, a feast with all the fixings.  Then when the service is done, he continues to provide all the spiritual food we want and need throughout the week in plentiful supply. 

Have you noticed how “dangerous” it is to leave an open bag of potato chips next to you on the couch?   Leave an open Bible on your pillow or your kitchen table and see how easy it is to catch a snack here and there.  Post your Baptism certificate above your bedroom dresser, and see how often your eye catches it.  You can savor the sweetness of God’s Word by spending hours in personal Bible study, but there’s also satisfaction to be found in bite-sized morsels.

We know what the psalmist was talking about.  Whether it comes as a full meal in church or in a light snack, God’s word of forgiveness saves and satisfies every starving sinner, and it always tastes delicious!