The Fizzle Effect

Scripture

You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it.

~Numbers 11:18-19, NIV

Quote

Only Jesus and His love become more and more engaging, absorbing and satisfying.

~Timothy Keller

The Israelites craved meat while they were in the wilderness. The LORD was feeding them daily with angels food but that was not enough. They complained against the LORD… “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” So the LORD gave them meat, more than they could eat and they gorged themselves. They acted like a bunch of pigs and their gluttony turned sour. Many of them got sick and even the young and the strong died from sickness. Have you ever wanted something so bad that you couldn’t get your mind on anything else. This is called a “craving.” A craving is a powerful and compelling desire to have something. For example: a drug addict craves drugs and one of the characteristics of addiction is the “Tolerance Effect,” in which the addict needs more and more drugs to get the same sensation. This is why addicts never have money, it takes more and more drugs to keep them satisfied. The sad thing about addiction is that they aren’t really getting any satisfaction but they keep using in hopes of getting that original high or effect.

I’m not a drug addict but I have had cravings. At age 19 I got a craving for a car, a sports car and nothing would satisfy me except that car. My daddy warned me. He told me the man who was selling the car was not honest. He told me the car was worn out and that repairs would be expensive. It was a foreign car, an Austin Healey. I ignored my father’s advice and bought the car. It quit on me the first weekend I drove it. My daddy was right, the car became a headache and finally I parked it. You may have romantic notions about convertibles but they are hot in summer, especially when the engine is right beside you and in those days, cars didn’t have air. The cars we rode in as kids had a 455 air conditioner–4 windows down and 55 mph.

Austin Healey

Unfortunately it takes time to learn that cravings will not satisfy. I know a woman who drove her husband crazy because she wanted a new brick house but the brick house did not satisfy her. She was unhappy before and after. I know from experience that houses and cars will not satisfy the soul’s deep longing. I believe the same is true with money. How many rich people do you know that are happy? Not all, but most are misers. They are anything but happy. Very few people can control wealth: in most cases, the wealth controls the person. Money becomes their god and it is a pitiful god.

When Ancient warrior kings conquered a city or a nation; one of the first things they did was destroy all of that nations idols {gods}. When Jesus our Warrior King returns, He will destroy all idols. He will crush them. We may find sin fascinating and prayer and bible reading boring but that is because our mind has been distorted by sin. Only Jesus can satisfy you eternally. All this other stuff is like an Alka-Seltzer…it makes a big fizz and then it fizzles out.

William Harold Mashburn is coming home July 11 which is next Thursday. Bob Cook failed his swallowing test; he and Joyce were terribly disappointed. Bob has been in HH for 65 days. Jennifer got to go home. Pray for Tracey B and Lilly G. I am so tired I can barely sit up: I thought it was 9:47 and it is 10:47…have a great day.

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