Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.

              Psalm 119:11

If the social, political, or cultural events of modern day western civilization are causing you to wonder just exactly what is going on, you might be surprised at how simple the explanation is for such recent events. The truth is…people are starving. And while you might immediately think of the concept of “starving” as someone who lacks the necessary amount of food for the day, and that is a real problem for many, the “starving” that I am referring to is that of spiritual malnutrition. 

People are searching for answers in a sea of worldly, philosophical beliefs, all certain to disappoint and lead the masses astray. Yet, acceptance, value, purpose, and meaning, that so many people are looking for today, are all found in a personal relationship with the Person of Jesus Christ.  

People are spiritually weak. They are not getting the necessary spiritual nutrition required to truly live. People are still searching for answers though depraved, sinful, and worldly ways. People are turning to religious and philosophical belief systems that are contrary to the Word of God. There is chaos, confusion, distortion, and perversion in people’s minds and in the culture at large. Even in the church, we can find examples of straying from the truth of God’s Word for a more tolerable message, designed to comfort the hearer while not offending the unbelieving world. People are masquerading as Christians, when in fact, for many, true conversion has never taken place. 

And why is all of this going on? It’s simple. People are starving spiritually because they have made the decision to distance themselves from the Bible, the very Word of God. Find a person that does not spend regular time in the Word of God daily and I’ll show you a person who is either not a believer or is a professing Christian with little to no fruit coming forth from his/her life. A vibrant, authentic relationship with Jesus Christ, spiritual growth, and a productive life lived for the kingdom of God will not happen apart from regularly feeding on the Word of God. 

The Bible is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). This is the reason why people will either run to it, desiring to be fed spiritually or they will avoid it at all cost. The Bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). Some say, “Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual.” It actually does! All of the instruction, wisdom, advice, information, and guidance that we, as mankind, need to make solid, godly, healthy, prosperous, and long-lasting beneficial decisions is found in the pages of scripture. But there is a catch. We have to surrender our lives to Christ, being born again, saved, and redeemed before we can begin feeding on the Word. Why? Because spiritual things can only be understood by the power of God’s Spirit at work within us. The unbelieving world is void of the Holy Spirit. This is primarily why they continue to operate in chaos, confusion, distortion, and perversion, in mind and lifestyle. Although salvation is only a prayer away for anyone desiring salvation and abundant, eternal life, it is found only as we come to the end of ourselves, acknowledging Christ as Lord, and crying out to God to save us on the basis of what Jesus has done for us on the cross (John 3:16-18, Romans 10:9-13). But until that glorious day of salvation is affected in the life of a man, woman, or child, spiritual understanding will elude them. Perhaps the best illustration of this reality is found in the words of Paul:

But a natural man (someone void of the Holy Spirit) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (understood). But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one (not subject to the judgment of any man).

    1 Corinthians 2:14-15

People apart from Christ will continue to spiritually starve primarily because they are unwilling to run to the cross and seek God’s forgiveness. They see this as utter foolishness. But foolishness to the unbeliever is the very power and wisdom of God for those of us who belong to Christ (Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 24). 

There are the masses, blinded by the enemy (Luke 8:12, 2 Corinthians 4:4), running after all of the trappings this world has to offer. There are people, living for temporal things, accumulating their material wealth only to grow older and wonder to whom they are going to leave their fortune. There are angry, loud, and demanding people who outwardly display the inner turmoil going on in their life. There are those who run to religious motion, adopting unbiblical teaching as a substitute for authentic salvation in Jesus Christ. And what do all of these people have in common? They are empty and without hope apart from Christ. They are spiritually starving and have distanced themselves from the truth of God’s Word and the spiritual nutrition that it provides. Yet, Jesus continues to offer real, abundant, eternal life to anyone who will surrender his/her life to Him (John 7:37-38, John 10:10).

So what is our role? It’s simple. Our role is to give our lives to Christ, be reconciled to God, receive the Spirit of God into our lives, and then take on the responsibility of telling others about God’s love for them and how they, too, can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). If we saw people physically starving in the streets and we were equipped with food, gift cards to restaurants, and money to hand to the people and withheld all of those resources for ourselves, how could we ever justify such an action? We couldn’t. So, when we see people spiritually starving and do nothing to tell them of a God who loves them, a Christ who died for them, and a brand new life made possible by the power of God’s Spirit within them, we are shirking our responsibility as Christians. But what if people reject our message? Some will! But how awesome it is when you and I find people with soft, receptive hearts, share Christ with them, and see them come to life for the very first time! (Ephesians 5:14) That simply is the best thing we can ever do for another human being. 

So where do you find yourself? Are you continuing in the same futility as does the rest of the world or have you found Jesus and the sustaining power of His Word? This is not a call to religion rather it is a call to abandon life without the Savior, cease to live for yourself and your desires, and surrender your entire life over to the One who has a much better plan for you than you could ever manufacture for yourself!

And He (Jesus) was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” 

“For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

          Luke 9:23-26