June 18, 2020 -- John 2:23 -- Renewed appetite

Now when he [Jesus] was at the Passover Feast,

many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.

John 2:23 English Standard Version

For the moment the signs, the miracles, which the people saw were enough to convince them Jesus is great and good. How long would that last? It is likely that some people who were at this Passover Feast were at another one, where they shouted: “Crucify Him!” How can followers of Jesus slide so far down, falling so far away from the Lord of Glory?

John Piper offers some insight.

The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie.

It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven,

but endless nibbling at the table of the world.

It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality

we drink in every night…

For when these replace an appetite for God himself,

the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.

John Piper, quoted in Growing Up Christian, Karl Graustein, page 63

What is filling your appetite? How are you satiating the hunger of your soul for the presence of the Divine, the King of Glory Who stooped down to our need in Christ Jesus? How are you relying on the Holy Spirit so that the things of God—such as reading the Bible, prayer, and gathering to hear the Word preached—remain vital activities in your life and keep your hunger for God sharp and pure?

Dearest Jesus, chiefest desire of every longing heart, apart from You I have no good thing. Spirit of God block the false pleasures of the world, those things that once had hijacked any desire I’d had for what is good, noble, true, and praise-worthy. Spirit of Truth restore my appetite for God Himself and Him alone. Renew my mind so that I will be prepared for the banquet of heaven, the marriage feast of the Lamb to His dear Bride, the Church. Amen.