Absentminded

Absentminded

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

Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

Former publisher of the New York Post J. David Stern was sometimes accused of being absentminded. He denied it, of course.

Once, as Stern walked down Fifth Avenue on his way to a meeting, he was approached by one of his old friends, who said, “David, come have lunch with me.”

Stern looked at his watch, shook his head, and said, “I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m already running a bit late for a meeting.”

“Oh, come on, you can spare a few minutes for an old friend, can’t you?”

“Well, all right, as long as we go somewhere nearby. I really do have to move along as quickly as possible.”

The two men entered a restaurant, and as Stern ordered, he wondered aloud what could be the matter with him. “I am not a bit hungry today for some reason.”

“Well, that’s unusual for you, David,” said his friend.

“I beg your pardon, sir,” said the waiter, “but you just finished eating lunch here about ten minutes ago.”

Sometimes I think we tend to be spiritually absentminded too. We come to the feast of the Word of God on Sunday morning, but by midafternoon we have already forgotten what we ingested, and we go on our way as if we had not partaken of the richness of his grace.

Instead of being hungry for righteousness, we hunger after wealth or power, and that hunger can never be satisfied. The more we partake of those earthly “foods,” the more of them we want. Just like empty calories—they never really satisfy. But when God’s Word and his righteousness fill us completely, we will never be hungry again.

Dear Lord, please grant me greater hunger and thirst for you. And then fill me, Lord, with your love and grace. Amen.