Rev. Steve Foss, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Sun Lakes
Appetite and hunger can be two completely different motivators. Some appetites compel one to a favorite restaurant, while some thrill-seekers might head to a favorite amusement park. Many will fulfill their desire to live vicariously through their favorite actors at the movie theater.
Appetites run a gamut of self-centered preferences. Some have appetites for books, while others have appetites for music. Many feed their appetites in an almost addictive way, while others satisfy the compelling demon with just enough to keep returning—the law of diminishing returns. Unfortunately, some appetites morph into dependency, resulting in personality disorders stemming from a simple preference to scratch one’s proverbial itch.
When it comes to church attendance, America is rife with professing Believers who have fallen for the egocentric approach. The “It’s All About Me” generation is a far cry from the generation who gave their all to save the world. Churches have been complicit in providing an environment to pacify those appetites for coffee and doughnuts, or contemporary music, or preaching that does not offend, or even a Bible edited to relax long-held prohibitions: adultery, homosexuality, lying, stealing, and murder.
Once the original standard has been compromised, it only continues to be lowered by those whose practice is to satisfy the whims of the “customer.” After all, the customer is always right when it comes to one’s appetite. When a faith group exists to pander to the appetites of their constituency, the environment becomes a case study of “I’m okay, you’re okay.”
Hunger is a motivator—the polar opposite of appetite—though they appear to be remarkably similar. Hunger is more primitive. It is for survival. And when one’s soul hungers strong enough, nothing will satisfy one’s heart-craving, or, rather, nothing in this world.
To satisfy the real hunger of one’s soul, one need only turn to the Creator and find the connection one has hungered for throughout life. Jesus Christ knew all too well how He designed humanity, which is why He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
One may try various substitutes to fill the void in one’s heart, only to discover the hole in his/her heart is shaped like Jesus, and only He can fill it.