Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:1-13 (day two) And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. vs. 2b
Sometimes I think Dr. Luke is the king of understatement. I am sure that Jesus was indeed hungry at the end of the 40 days. What strikes me is the mystery of fasting. Earlier in the verse Luke writes that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit.” No food in his belly, but full to overflowing with the Spirit. On the surface you would think that anyone would be at their weakest and most defenseless at the end of a fast like that. While I am not advocating the neglect of our health, I am struck by the clarity of Jesus’ responses to Satan. It was his hunger that Satan first addresses, but Jesus’ dependence and sustenance were found in God alone.
There is so much to discover about Jesus in this passage. If we empty ourselves of stuff, and fill ourselves with the Spirit of God doesn’t it stand to reason that we, too, we have a clearer picture of the purpose of God is in our lives?
This blog does help bring clarity to our vital relationship with the Holy Spirit. I see the concept of trade-offs or opportunity costs of not doing or choosing something in order to do or choosing something else we believe will be better! If we choose a Godly life over an earthly life; then earthly life is our opportunity cost!! We sacrifice something in order to receive or grasp something of higher values. Our sacrifice for something to gain something else is opportunity cost!
Few examples I can think of in relation to trade-offs or opportunity costs. For example, we must empty or clean out our refrigerator before we can fill it with the new groceries. We must let go of the old habit and unproductive thoughts if we want to experience a new way of life or thinking that can lead us to where we want to be. We must empty a bottle that is filled with the old dirt so we can fill it with the new dirt or with air. We must let go of something in exchange of something as we cannot have both. If we fill ourselves with all the desires and wants of an earthly life, we will not be able to fill ourselves with the desires and wants of a Godly life. If our minds and hearts are empty for God, we will not open our minds and hearts for the Holy Spirit to have the chance to live and to work in us! If we want to experience the Holy Spirit and allow for the Holy Spirit to live and work in us, we need to humble ourselves before God and empty ourselves!
We face tradeoffs in our lives. To get something we want, we have to give up something else we want. To receive the Holy Spirit-filled minds and hearts, we have to give up the Earthly-filled minds and hearts. Can we empty ourselves with the things of this world in order to fill ourselves with the things of God? I guess we need to pray and ask God to help us fight this battle between this earthly-filled and the Holy Spirit-filled life and experiences.
It was mysterious that Jesus was still alive after 40 days of fasting. It was a miracle. Human body is not conditioned for fasting for such a longer period of time. We will be brain-dead.
This shows us evidence that Jesus is God and came to earth in the human form. Nothing is impossible with God! God definitely fed Jesus with the Holy Spirit as food and water! I am convinced!
Whatever decision we will be making always involves a tradeoff. As I gain more experience at both personal and professional fronts, I can say that opening our minds and hearts and filling our minds and hearts more and more with God through the Holy Spirit are essential for a peaceful and joyful living. We may have to give up (opportunity cost) some earthly-filled life experiences but our opportunity gain for Christ outweighs opportunity cost! I personally and professionally made many trade-off decisions!
What do you have to empty or to give up in order to gain Christ with full of the Holy Spirit? Our vital relationship with the Holy Spirit is undeniable. I know we all have a decision to think about!