Daily Reading
Daily Thought
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” ~Hosea 11:1
God recalls his love and care for Israel, rescuing them from slavery, feeding them in the wilderness, leading them to a land he specially prepared for them. And yet “when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart became proud; therefore they forgot me” (Hosea 13:6). To the fat and happy, beware.
I was pre-med for a year, before I discovered my powerful dislike for biology. I did have fun with rats, though, doing experiments in the lab. I learned that if you want to teach a rat something, it better be hungry. It is the “90 percent rule.” Feed a rat, weigh it, then diet it down 10 percent. Hungry rats solve mazes faster, click pedals to get food more often, and generally behave better than when they are satisfied. If they are not hungry, they are not that eager to learn.
“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” ~Luke 6:21
Israel had much to learn. When Mick Jagger wails, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” it is a good thing. It is the soul seeking more, beyond the here and now, for the here and now cannot satisfy. We are made for so much more. Said the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, “he has put eternity into man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” ~Hebrews 13:14
All of life is lived on the edge of eternity.
Daily Prayer
Father God, May I be satisfied in Your love, and unsatisfied with anything less. You created me to live in a close relationship with You. May I hunger, starve even, when I neglect to nurture and feed that relationship. God, keep me forever eager to grow in the knowledge and love of You. May I live always in the light of eternity.
Amen
Daily Question
What are your deepest needs and desires?