8-24-2024 8:05pm

Strong spirits: my biggest appetite

Photo: Bicanski

If you could eat or drink as much of any one thing, without it harming you at all, what would it be? Once I ate so many Christmas sugar cookies that I got good and sick. I couldn't look a sugar cookie in the eye for a long time! We all have appetites. We hunger and thirst for more than just food and drink. And sometimes our appetites get the better of us. Sometimes an appetite becomes an addiction.

Paul the apostle has some interesting words for us. He writes, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that leads to debauchery. Rather, be filled with the Holy Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18). I don't think Paul is singling out wine here, over the many other things we could over consume.

I think his point is, to let God be your biggest appetite. Desire him most of all! Once God filled me with his Spirit, I found that other appetites had less of a hold on me.

Give God your appetites! Ask him to fill you with his Spirit. Ask him to make your biggest appetite be for him. He will!

Besides serving as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church, Gary Schwerin is the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life. His columns appear here every Sunday - to see them all, subscribe to our daily email.