Full Bellies with Starved Hearts

     I was reading an article in World magazine and came across a quote that really stuck with me. It simply said, "Their bellies are full but their hearts are empty".

     What does it mean to have a full belly? Well, we might not exactly be stuffed every minute of every day, although in this country it is quite possible to be like that. We might not be living in the lap of luxury, but when was the last time one of your needs was not met? When was the last time you had no house, no money, no clothing, or any food? I would say in general, we are physically well nourished.
     That is, until you become stuffed. What happens when one's eyes begin to grow too large for their stomach? We've all heard the saying, and have probably experienced it recently, with Thanksgiving come and gone. When someone becomes too full, they become apathetic, lethargic, and quite often, they become a bit larger.
     So how do we become too full of this world?
     Being too full of this world involves one's wants to overpower their needs; where their wants become such a driving force that they seem a necessity. When we place careers, school, music, or sports as an idol in our hearts; when the spotlight in our hearts are focused on me-me-me, and God gets the shadows all to Himself.
     Spiritual apathy is directly correlated to self-satisfaction. When we get bloated with this world, our spiritual lives become malnourished and sluggish.

     What does a starved heart look like?
     It looks suffocated by the things around it, the pounds of the flesh. It looks dead to Christ and un-empathetic towards others. It looks self-centered and inward seeking. It looks uncontent.
     Just as the body requires the right kind of nutrition to keep it running on all cylinders, the heart of Christ requires food of Fire. It requires food of Passion, of Life; it requires food of Sacrifice. It requires time spent in the Word of God, and time spent giving when it can't. It requires the Widow's Mite, and it requires your all.
     But the benefits of a heart that is fitting, not two sizes too small, are immense! It gives you spiritual endurance: the ability to never give up the Hope of God. It grants you a place of leadership: the opportunity to say, "Follow me as I follow Christ". It gives you the peace that passes all understanding: the calm in the middle of the storms of life. But most of all, it gives you the Heart of God.

     What has your diet been looking like lately? It's time for a change.

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Matthew 4:4
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
They all ate the same spiritual food  and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:3-4
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 1 Peter 2:2