Hunger Pains

Written by Mr. Lamar Hamil

Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV)

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Have you ever left a restaurant hungry or thirsty? Were the servings too small or did the plate seem empty? Did the server give poor service in refilling your glass? Of course, we all have had this experience. Some of us more than once. If you are like me, you left feeling cheated and regretted going.

Let me tell you about a day of revelation. Mrs. Edith was a fine, gentle, sweet lady. If I saw her, she always made a point to sit, talk and then take me to her home to finish our visit. Needless to say, I had better have a few hours to spare. But the Lord knows I miss her. The last day I saw her at the new restaurant, and she spotted me coming in. After a short while, made her way back to my table, stopping and greeting other patrons along the way. She sat with me and just had small talk for the longest time catching up. She loved talking about old times with my grandpa Hamil. After a while, she leaned forward and asked me a question. Where do you go to church?

I responded by naming one of the big local churches we were attending. I talked about how much the kids enjoy it. She listened for a moment, but lovingly cut in and said, “You know you are not getting the full gospel there”. She was referring to the Holy Spirit. In my spirit I knew she was speaking the truth to me. It was a revelation and convicting message from the Holy Spirit. Also, it was one that I tried to ignore for several years afterwards. We are blessed at Jackson First to receive the full gospel.

I have been a part of several denominations that leave out the Holy Spirit almost entirely. Almost like they had taken a pair of scissors and cut out almost anything related to the Holy Spirit. Scripture says we live on every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord not just the ones we choose to believe, trust or follow. We cannot leave out the Holy Spirit otherwise we are receiving a partial or completely empty spiritual plate. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can satisfy the hunger of our spirit.

I want to thank you, Lord, for allowing us to humbly worship you. I thank the ministers at Jackson First for delivering the whole gospel of God not a cut up or redacted version. Let us be reminded that we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God not just a portion. I pray that each one of us keeps a spiritual hunger and thirst for more of you. That we are also filled by a runaway desire to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit daily.