My husband loved to shop for groceries. The only problem was that he almost always shopped on his way home from work in the evening. Translation: he walked down each aisle with an empty stomach and came home with an empty wallet.
If that wasn’t enough, a strange phenomenon occurred. My husband’s poor memory: (“Huh? You asked me to take out the trash? When? I don’t seem to recall . . .”) suddenly came alive and he was able to remember every name-brand food item ever seen on television! And THAT translated into a huge grocery bill made up of items that we absolutely did not need.
Another big part of that phenomenon included so-called bargains. If it appeared to be a good deal, the bargain found a resting place in my husband’s grocery cart. For example, he was very excited about the twelve jars of baby food advertised at $3.00 off but we didn’t have a baby. And yes, the sack of cat food on sale for $6.00 off WAS a steal . . . IF you owned a cat!
Walking in a grocery store with an empty stomach can be costly. But even more costly is walking through life without a relationship with Jesus. Please hear my heart on this one: we can shop around to find something else to fill our “shopping carts.” And In our hunger to fill the void inside each of us, we can look for bargains that we don’t really need, like a bigger home or a more expensive vehicle. We may even try filling our carts with drugs or alcohol or time spent in chat rooms on the internet.
In our emptiness, we may search for the perfect bargain and overlook the Perfect One who meets all our needs and satisfies our hunger as nothing else can. My husband came home with grocery “bargains” that he would never have bought if his physical hunger had been satisfied.
In the same way, when our spiritual hunger is filled with a relationship with Jesus, we will avoid falling into the trap of filling our hearts with “bargains” we do not need. Satisfy your spiritual hunger with a “shopping cart” filled with mercy, love, and forgiveness from the Lord and you will never need to shop for “bargains” again.
Father, I am so grateful that you desire a relationship with me. Thank you for filling up the emptiness in my heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
R.A.P. it up
Reflect
Have you ever tried to fill the emptiness of your life with “bargains” that did not satisfy?
Did you feel “full” of satisfaction or still empty?
Apply
Journal each “bargain” that you have ever considered to fill the hunger in your heart. Beside each one, journal whether or not your hunger was satisfied.
Then look up a Scripture that shows how Jesus can fill that hunger, write it down and praise Him for His faithfulness.
Power
Psalm 22:26 (NIV) “The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him – may your hearts live forever!”
Romans 15:13 (NIV) “May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 5:6 (NIV) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
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