Thursday, December 8 (Suggested Reading: Psalm 34; I Peter 2:1-3)
The Dorito Effect is a book by Mark Schatzker that presents a pretty strong theory that the health crises in the United States of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes are related to the addition of chemical, and even natural, flavorings to the foods we consume.
Over the years, as fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy have been engineered for faster production, transport, and shelf-life, much of their true flavor has been lost. Food scientists have learned to mimic those flavors artificially, but our bodies were designed to associate certain flavors based on their nutritional make-up. Artificial flavors have tricked our palates into believing we are consuming nutrient rich foods, when in reality we are just eating, for example, a plain old, well-seasoned corn chip. Consequently, our bodies, craving nutrients, are never satisfied, so our minds tell us to keep eating until our cravings are fulfilled.
Where do we turn when we are spiritually hungry, when we lack a sense of satisfaction with our lives? There is a host of options out there for us that may look and feel right at first, but the enemy of our souls is the consummate marketer when it comes to leading us to alternatives that only appease our flesh for a moment. His alternatives leave us feeling dissatisfied, unfulfilled, and often immersed in guilt and sorrow, yet ironically wanting more of that which doesn’t satisfy.
Thankfully, Jesus offers us true goodness and true fulfillment of our spiritual hunger. When Jesus draws us to Himself in salvation, we get our first taste of grace, and our souls never forget how He satisfies. Peter tells us that “the pure milk of the Word” changes us from the inside out. And the more we have of His truth, the more we crave it, and the more easily we are able to distinguish it from imposters.
The sweetness of Jesus draws us into His presence and transforms us. He is the satisfaction of our every hunger. The Psalmist instructs us to turn to the Lord when we are in need, when we are fearful, when we are troubled, when we are surrounded by our enemies, when we are tempted, and when we are brokenhearted. Verse 19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
No matter what our need is today, Jesus is the answer and He is available to us through prayer and through His Word. He is the only one we need, and He is all that we need.
If you have a need, I know He has the answer…
This Road Home 