Craving
For the past few days I’ve had a craving for chocolate.
It can strike at anytime, and when it does, all you can do is think about chocolate, fixate on it, and figure out how to get some of it.
Usually there’s none in the house, and so I’ve tried to find a substitute. Flavoured yoghurt or something, but it’s not the same.
I’ve even come up with a plan where Michael has a secret stash of chocolate, so that when the craving strikes at some weird time of the day, I know I’m covered. Desperate times, ha, ha.
So anyway, all this craving gave me the idea of writing a post about it. It reminded me of that part in the Bible which talks about craving. In particular the craving of the flesh, and the way this is opposed to the Holy Spirit.
The Amplified Bible puts it this way: But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God) Galatians 5:16.
These practices of human nature without God are then listed: they are immorality, impurity, indecency, Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.
The thing with craving is the pull there is, the yearning that’s involved. And here Paul is showing us the yearning of our godless human nature, the desires that pull at us without Him. And how much do we recognise about ourselves? Envy? Anger? Selfishness? And any one of the others too.
But then Paul shows us the way to be released. The way for the craving we don’t want, to be quashed: If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit] Galatians 5:25.
When I think about how compelling craving can be, whether it’s for chocolate or for one of these practices that Paul is speaking about like anger or selfishness, it makes me so thankful for God and for His Spirit. Just the hope that we are not owned by those things about our human nature that pull at us, and stir up those cravings.
[The photo is a tiny part of a chocolate brownie TOWER at this market we visit from time to time. It’s amazing :) ]
Photo by Birgit Whelan, London, England
This post has given me such a craving for chocolate and chocolate brownies!! But it is very meaningful to me too, I love how the Amplified says it: to walk and live habitually in the Holy Spirit, responsive to, CONTROLLED and guided by the Spirit- this is what I want! God bless you Birgit…
Oh no :) I’ve passed on the craving, sorry ripplegirl, I remember you saying how much you loved chocolate – eek! ;)
Yeah I love how the amplified really builds an understanding of what these verses are saying – “live habitually” “responsive to” “controlled by” God’s Spirit. So good. God bless :).
i’ve never been a chocolate fan…
and i totally need to crave the things of God more than i do…
Hi alece, wow, in a lot of ways that’s really good, but then, at the same time, I can’t really imagine life without chocolate :).
Lots of love.
I could so scarf down about 10 of those brownies! You’re so talented. I love your photography and your writing. Just uplifts my heart and soul.
They’re SO yum! :) Thanks so much Hope, your comment is a real blessing. Love and God bless.
I pray that I will want God more than coffee. :) And that His Word would be like dessert. And all the good dessert is chocolate, of course.
Sweets don’t really do it for me…but then that’s not actually the point, is it?
What I crave and can’t have keeps me on my knees.
I’ve been thinking about this all day.
God bless you today, Birgit.
Hi Tawny, I love what you said! :) So well said :)! Love and blessings.
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Hi Michelle, I really like this point that you make that God can be at work in our craving, drawing us into greater dependence on Him. Thanks for this, and lots of love.