TOPIC: BLESSED ARE THE HUNGRY
MEMORISE:
"Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh." Luke 6:21
READ: Acts 8:27-39
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
MESSAGE:
"O God, thou art my God; early will i seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;" Psalm 63:1.
The Scripture above was written by David in the wilderness of Judah. A wilderness is often characterised by a lack of food and water, and even though David might have been hungry and thirsty, he expressed a much greater desire for something more than food and water - God's presence. No wonder God called David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22).
In today's Bible reading, we read about the Ethiopian eunuch who had travelled many miles to Jerusalem to worship God. However, he had many questions as he was returning to his home country. As he travelled on the dusty roads of Gaza, an angel spoke to Phillip and told him to position himself on the road the eunuch was travelling on. As Phillip stood by the road, the Holy Spirit gave him an additional instruction to move closer to the man's chariot. God was so interested in the eunuch that He moved everything - an angel, a man, and His Spirit- to give him the answers he desired (Acts 8:26-40). This is what happens when God sees genuine hunger for Him in the life of a fellow. He will never let the hungry go away without being filled, and He will always fill them with good things (Luke 1:53).
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6.
God feeds you in proportion to your hunger for Him. Psalm 42:7 says, "...deep calleth unto deep.." When you really want to go deep in God, your hunger will attract the resources you need to go deep. A hungry and thirsty fellow is one who is desperate for food and water. In the same vein, God expects us to hunger and thirst for His power and glory. He expects us to desperately pursue Him and seek intimacy with Him. Jesus gave a parable in Matthew 13:44-46 that the Kingdom of God is like a man who found treasure in a field and sold all that he had so he could buy that field and own the treasure. Just like that man in the parable, God wants you to be hungry for Him so you can be filled and reflect more of His glory on the earth.
REFLECTION:
Are you truly hungry for God?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 33-35
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 8: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR
1 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev'ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour,
I come to Thee.
2 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh.
3 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.
4 I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.
5 I need Thee every hour
Most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!
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