Famished.
What does it look like?
Starving.
What does it feel like?

Are we so famished, so starved that we will do anything for one bite, for one bowl of stew—Is that how famished looks and starving feels? That we will do ANYTHING to gain what we desire?  Would we do anything for a bite of stew?  Surely not, we think.  “Nope.  I would not do that,” we cry out to anyone who will listen, but truth be told, we just might.
We just might sell all things precious to us to gain that which we desire…..MORE!
Take a walk with me a moment.  See some of the things we call our own, things precious to us, things we barter with daily.

Our Spouse.  What do we trade our intimacy for in order to latch onto that which we desire more?

Our children.  What about them?  What do we barter for, using our protected place, one we may use as leverage—in order to gain that which we desire more?

Then there’s our faith, our spiritual heritage.  We say, “No way!!!”  Yet, still we trade away (oftentimes six out of seven days), trading our precious gift given by God to seek that which we desire more.

Finally, there are certain relationships, special people God places on our life-path, those we fall in love with, who we call our close friends and our best friends. Do we find ourselves placing what we desire more in place of them, seeking the things of this world more than time shared with them?

Let us take a journey back, through life, seeing those same four things God provides for us. We may cry out, “Now wait a minute.  I do need to work.  How can I ever care for those four things if I do not work?”
And we are so right.  We do need to work.  We do need tasks to do, work to strive to complete, and healthy stress given to us, as we accomplish the work of our day.  God Himself ordained work when He created the world. Notice God’s work in the beginning.

Day 1–Light from Darkness, and God called it done, a good day’s work. 
Day 2–Expanse separated from the waters—the heaven above the expanse, and God called it done, a good day’s work.
Day 3–Dry land (earth) from water (sea), all kinds of vegetation, trees, and plants, and yes, God called it done, a good day’s work.
Day 4–Two great lights, one being lesser of the two, one great light to rule the day and one lesser light to rule over the darkness. Then God made the stars and placed them (ever so) there within the great expanse, and it was done, and God called it a good day’s work. 
Day 5–Great sea monsters and every winged bird imaginable, faithfully multiplying and filling the earth.  God saw it was good, blessed them, and called it a good day’s work. 
Day 6–Mankind.  Man, and then woman, taken from part of man during a deep sleep.  An operation God performed so man did not need to dwell alone, isolated, and without help.  Then God gave mankind specific work to do, a task to subdue and name—everything!!  When God created man and woman, He specifically made them in His own image (God’s image), and God blessed them, instructing them to be fruitful, to multiply, and to procreate to fill the world with children (with their offspring).  Then God warned the first man and the first woman, showing them the world He had created. God instructed them of the plants to eat.  God saw that what He had created was good, was finished, and God called it a good day’s work.

• Spouses.
• Children.
• Faith.
• Relationships.

All precious to us.  All important and not to be discarded for the obtainment of what we should never desire—-more.

Now, we know the rest of God’s creation story, how God placed the man and his helper into Eden, how He surrounded them by four rivers, how God planted His garden, how God gave them specific guidance on what trees to eat from and which particular tree of life to avoid.
Yes, we know how God then rested from His work, there on Day 7 after He had completed Everything the world has to offer.

Fast forward years and see the generations: See Adam & his sons and daughters; See Enoch & his son Methuselah, as well as his other children; See Lamech & his sons and daughters; Also See Noah & his three boys; Then See Terah & his son Abram, and See Abram take Sarai as his wife; Also See Abraham’s son Isaac & his wife Rebekah; and Then we will pause with Isaac and Rebekah, and we will See their twin sons: Esau and Jacob.

See a boy, a red-headed & red-skinned boy—a hunter and a gatherer.
See his twin be born next, one who holds onto his older brother (by his heel) as he was born.
See these boys grow up, taking different trades, learning different skills, and possessing different passions.

It is then—that we see IT happen…Again.
We saw IT happen way back generations ago in the garden surrounded by four rivers and a specific tree.
We see IT now, again, generations later, after these parents finally are blessed by God with two children, twin boys, sons. Yes, it is there—that we see IT happen.

For sure, we can see IT now, today, during our generation, even though we have become far removed from those original people, separated by thousands of years. 
Why is IT still here with us?
Why can we not avoid IT when we have such wonderful past examples to see and learn from, to know how IT should be avoided?

Well, for one reason—-We cannot seem to avoid IT because we don’t know how to rest, how to look back over our day’s work, how to call the completed work—a good day’s work.  No.

• We seem to look forward, way into the future, seeing the undone work that needs completion rather than the satisfaction of the work already finished.
• We only seem to see the “to do” list, the future, the stress of tomorrow, when God shows us time and again how to look back and dwell (SATISFIED & FULFILLED) seeing the “already done.”
• We only seem to reside within the famished and starved state of life, seeking that which is not ours to take, knowing that we are stealing the joy from this day as we move to take the things that never were ours.

So today, we have seen God’s Holy Word given to us as examples, as guidance for our days.  Then tomorrow, we will take another long drink from His Living Word. In the first book of the Bible, we can pause to read the account.
Genesis 1: 1-31 & Genesis 2: 1-25 & Genesis 25:19-34.

God will give us peace for this one day’s work.
We don’t need to seek that which we do not need.
We don’t need to seek the stress found in tomorrow.
We don’t need to take what only brings us anguish and sorrow.
We need to find rest and peace—the REST & PEACE found only in God.
We need to not strive for the IT found within the world, but…
We do need to protect those beautiful things God has given to us, and we need to hold onto them with all our might.
Our Faith.
Our Spiritual Heritage. 
Our Marriage. 
Our Children. 
Our Family.
Our Close Relationships.
All else—well, it’s just nothingness and as Solomon called—IT—“everything is futility and striving [chasing] after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

So let us be famished for the things of God.
So let us be starved for the things of God.
So let us live this one day God has allotted us to live, yes, a good day.
And let us remember the Word of God: