Dear church,

True Christians will notice when their natural cravings begin to overtake and override the satisfaction they get from the gospel. We experience, from time to time, a desire for something even more than God gives us in this moment. Eternal life does not seem to be enough for us. 

A “strong craving” comes over us. It might be for some old habit or for some physical pleasure. It might be a craving for money or fame or worldly approval. Whole churches can suffer from these cravings as easily as individual Christians.

The important thing for us to do in these moments is to pay attention. God is very gentle with us. “The fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.” A Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit will notice the burning. It is a warning. We ought to repent. 

The worst thing is to persist in the craving to the point that God turns us over to it, and we receive so much of the ungodly thing we crave that it destroys us. “Therefore God gave them up …” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).

Contentment is a spiritual gift that pulls the mask off our craving and allows us to rest in Christ alone. True contentment only comes from Jesus (Philippians 4:10-13).

Our desire for variety in our life of faith – to spice things up – can lead us to places we don’t really want to go. It is better to rest in the traditional gospel as it was handed down to us by the apostles – the gospel we read in black and white in our bibles. We ought to get our fill only from Jesus. 

“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). This is the bread we must eat every day, now and forever. 

Chris