Hungry or Content?

Too Hungry to be Satisfied With “The Usual”
Something happened to me after decades of serving God and preaching what I thought was revival. Something was missing, and I had an idea it was God’s presence. That was when I decided that I was tired of standing on the sidewalk watching the “Jesus parade” pass by. I became too hungry to be satisfied with “church as usual” (The God Catchers, p. 67).

Children recognized Him instantly, and so did the adults in some great need or desperation. It was only among the smug, the satisfied, and the supposedly secure that Jesus found wholesale rejection. The wealthy taxman of Jericho had every natural need and most of the wants that are so easily supplied by money. Yet he needed something no amount of money or earthly power to purchase, control, or extort from others. Zacchaeus needed an encounter with Deity and God sensed the desperation and determination in his soul.
Have you ever read the account of Zacchaeus or some other Bible character, and then felt pangs of longing or even jealousy wrack your soul? “Why couldn’t it have been me, Lord?”
The tree of Zacchaeus was the proverbial sycamore tree of divine purpose.
When humanity fell short of the glory of God, He planted another tree of inestimable worth. The tree of destiny for the rest of us was planted on the top of mount Calvary, and God Himself climbed it first so it would still be standing on our day of destiny. We can’t see Him from any other vantage point, but if we can just climb that tree, we’ll transcend time and access His abiding presence for eternity (The God Catchers, p. 66).
God Chasers perpetually carry a tree of destiny with them—that tree is indivisible from true discipleship and daily obedience to Christ’s call. I read somewhere, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”9
Whether we like it or not, the cross of daily crucifixion and all-out commitment is mandatory for God Chasers who are too hungry to be content with church as usual.

How does the idea of daily cross bearing and God Chasing match up with our modern concept that being a Christian is mostly a matter of regular church attendance? How does it match up with your daily life?
Zacchaeus climbed the tree, but Jesus invited Himself to the house. God plants the tree in your life, but hunger makes you climb it. God creates the occasion, but you must take advantage of it… “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” 10 If you dare to climb the tree of hunger, you may not have to invite Him—He may just invite Himself (The God Catchers, p. 72).

More Erroneous Assumptions, Presumptions and Misaligned Paradigms

Some people may feel that they can satisfy their hunger by watching from the sidelines and patting their children on the shoulder as they point to the parade to say, “That’s Him. Watch Him now as He passes by. Never forget this moment.” Hunger humbled me and consumed me until I had to find a way to get more of Him than I had. A passing glimpse would not do. I had to touch something, even if it was the hem of His garment.
We are now at least two generations into the “TV era,” and we are finding it difficult to tell the difference between fantasy on the screen and reality right in front of us! Take this “Spectator Christian Quiz” to see if you are a parade watcher or a parade stopper:

1.      When I go to church, I:

[  ] a. always wait for my favorite songs to start worshiping God.

[  ] b. begin worshiping Him when I wake up, and just pick up the pace when I meet with other believers for corporate worship.

2.      I just don’t feel like I’ve “had church” unless:

[  ] a. I see the pastor step behind the pulpit and preach.

[  ] b. We keep worshiping and ministering to Him until His manifested presence comes in some way.

3.      When I leave a church service, I want to feel:

[  ] a. Satisfied and comfortable enough to hold out for another week.

[  ] b. Hungrier for God’s presence than when I came, and even more aware of my desperate love and need for Him.

4.      I never feel complete in a service unless:

[  ] a. I’ve received some blessing from God.

[  ] b. I’ve somehow given Him something more of myself in the way of love, worship, commitment, repentance, or my own brokenness and desperate need for Him.

[Answer Key: If you consistently selected “a” answers, you may be wearing a “Spectator” brand Christianette suit, and have probably attended too many services that were all about “us” instead of all about Him. If you consistently selected “b” answers, then you are probably “ruined” for church as we know it, and are ripe for an encounter with the Object of your passion.]

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:1-10, in which a wealthy but unpopular senior tax agent of short stature climbed a tree of destiny and became an unforgettable trophy of Christ’s triumph, who came to seek and save “that which was lost.”

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 
2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 
5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 
6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 
7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Prayer
Lord, I know You planted this tree of daily death to pride and dignity in my life. Part of me doesn’t want to touch it, but the hungry part of my soul has forced the issue. I can’t stand to wait any longer. I’m climbing that tree. I refuse to allow my fears or satisfaction with comfort to separate me from Your perfect will any longer. I’m committing to a life of perpetual pursuit—as long as You are the Pursued.


This devotion taken from the God Chasers Network