PEA RIDGE — Chris Ledoux sang a song about a cowboy caught in the middle of a stampede.
Most of us have never been in the middle of a lifethreatening stampede. But, if you would ever like to experience just a small hint of what a stampede would be like, then follow these three simple steps.
Find a herd of hungry cattle or horses.
Pour some feed into a feed bucket.
Walk into the pasture while shaking the bucket.
Follow those steps and you will be in front of a stampede. I have been kicked and almost knocked down by standing in front of cattle and horses with a feed bucket.
It’s amazing how physical hunger will motivate critters and us to not let anything get in between us and food. The same is true for spiritual hunger. What is spiritual hunger? In a generic sense spiritual hunger is a desire to find significance and satisfaction in someone or something bigger than us. I believe everyone has this kind of hunger and that is good.
What is not so good is that there is often a magnetic pull toward those shiny things that promise to fill that hunger.
Yes, there is a stampede of the masses to fill this spiritual hunger with counterfeit food.
“Just a little more money and I’ll be satisfied.”
“Another promotion and I will have arrived.”
“Another religious experience and I will reach utopia.”
“One more sexual encounter with someone different and my cup will befull.”
All of those pursuits are an attempt to fill a legitimate need. They will not satisfy the hunger. In fact, many get trampled and hurt in the stampede. The irony is that we tend to jump right back in!
Jesus addressed this issue with a woman who had been caught up in a stampede. She was running from one dude to the next.
She tried to fill her insatiable desire for significance with at least five different men.
Jesus told her, “I can give you water where you will never thirst again.”
He was talking about himself. He is the living water. He is the bread of life.
Shiny things leave us still hungry. Religion leaves us dissatisfied. But, a relationship with Jesus will quench that thirst. He gives us significance. We are his fellow heir - a son or daughter of the Father. This makes us a prince or princess. Because of his shed blood we have royal blood flowing through our veins! We have a divinely-ordained purpose in this world. We will inherit a great inheritance.
I think all of that provides all of the significance we need.
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Editor’s note: Tim Wallace is pastor of Cross Brand Church. To contact him, e-mail [email protected].
For more of Wallace’s articles, go to www.tallinthesaddle.wordpress.org.
Church, Pages 2 on 09/19/2012