The laborer’s appetite works for him,
His hunger drives him on.
Proverbs 16:26
You may be reading this devotion at the start of your day or you might be reading it
before you go to sleep; perhaps you are reading it during your lunch break or perhaps
you're working through it at the dinner table with friends or family. Wherever you are
right now and whatever you are doing, would you describe yourself as satisfied?
“Satisfied” probably means different things to different people, but at its core it should
include an element of contentment.
Sometimes when I ask people if they are satisfied or content they look at me as if I am
mad. Between trying to hold down a job, maintain a home, perhaps keeping a spouse
happy, trying their best to bring up their children properly, trying to arrange lifts to and
from sporting and other activities, shopping, maintaining a social life, and then perhaps
on top of all of these things attempting to be committed to regular worship and involved
in the life of the church, the general feeling is that being satisfied or content is a luxury
that will have to wait ‘until I get on top of things, get a promotion, I go on long leave, the
children leave home, and I retire!’ Perhaps you are breathless from just reading the last
paragraph and any feeling of satisfaction or contentment that was trying to take hold in
your life has departed.
It needn't be so. That's right, it needn't be so! You can be satisfied. There is absolutely
no need for anyone on this planet to have to say that they can't get any satisfaction. Jesus
has promised satisfaction. The Proverb before us today tells us that our appetite works
for us. That's interesting, isn't it? Many people believe and live as if they need to work
for their appetite, but no, your appetite can work for you. Your hunger can drive you on.
Drive you on to what? Well, it will drive you to whatever it needs to be satisfied. Now
you don't need to look very far around you to see the negative effects of inappropriate
appetites, but the good news is that if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, if that is
the hunger that drives you, your appetite will work for you and You Will Be Satisfied.
On another occasion Jesus will say that if you seek first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness then many other things will be added unto you.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness, long for it, pray for it, hope for it, desire it and watch
the appetite work for you.
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John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
Was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms became a highly successful evangelical movement in Britain, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.Wesley helped to organise and form societies of Christians throughout Great Britain, North America and Ireland as small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction among members. His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for people in the societies. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the prison reform and abolitionism movements.
John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism (which later led to the forming of the Calvinistic Methodists), Wesley embraced Arminianism. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Christ personally.
Wesley believed that this doctrine should be constantly preached, especially among the people called Methodists. In fact, he contended that the purpose of the Methodist movement was to "spread scriptural holiness across England."
Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican tradition. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected.
John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement which grew from the 'Holy Club' of his Oxford friends into a great religious revival. An indefatigable traveller, preacher and writer, Wesley averaged 8,000 miles a year on horseback and gave 15 sermons a week. The reluctance of the Anglican clergy to lend him their pulpits led him to give some of his sermons in the open air, a decision which enabled him to reach those among the poorer sections of society who were not accustomed to going to church.