Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
I love fishing… but sadly, I haven’t been able to fish for quite a while. There’s the Mediterranean, but other than that, the few good fishing spots in Israel are not really available to the public. So sad. Nevertheless, fishing gives me a chance to get a break from the world and just relax and meditate — and on a good day, maybe catch a fish or two. But there are different kinds of fishermen and different ways of fishing…
I recently saw a fishing cartoon that spoke to me and illustrated something about expectations. Pictured were two Eskimos fishing through holes in the ice. One of them had his line in a normal size hole maybe two or three feet across. But the guy sitting next to him had his line in an enormous hole, in the shape of a whale! This guy was hungry! He didn’t want some dinky little fish! He was fishing for whales!
What I like about this illustration is how appetite creates expectation. What is our appetite for affecting the world around us for the Lord’s sake? How much do we hunger to change things in peoples’ lives through the gospel and through the ministry of our Messiah? And how does that affect our expectations? He said, “Blessed are those who HUNGER AND THIRST for righteousness.”
How would you compare your hunger to your expectation? If your hunger is great and genuine then it’s likely that God will move you to carve out a “whale-sized” hole in this icy world and expect a corresponding catch!
I really enjoyed this devotional. Thank you for creating and sharing it.