Spiritual Thirst

Physical thirst is caused by our pituitary gland when it secretes two hormones - one signaling our kidneys and one to our hypothalamus to alert our salivary glands.

When we desire God as much as we crave water when we are physically thirsty, and we seek Him as much as we seek a drink of water, we shall find Him (Psalm 42:1-2, 143:6).

When Jesus came, He offered us a drink of His living water so that we would thirst no more (John 4:14, 7:37). From the wells of salvation, we can access this living water at any time (Isaiah 12:3).

Humanity goes to broken cisterns to find relief for their spiritual thirst: drugs, alcohol, food, sex and other addictions. These sources provide momentary relief, but have negative consequences and lethal side effects.

God provided a way through Christ for whosoever wills to come to Jesus in order to have their spiritual thirst satiated for eternity. Most people do not realize they are thirsty until they have desensitized their need with the things of this world.

God gives us a clear picture of our soul's thirst by comparing it to a deer that longs for water from the brook (Psalm 42:1-2). Biblical characters exemplify our need to quench our soul's thirst in this weary world in which we live (Psalm 63:1, 143:6).

Our intimacy with God matures as we learn to find our repose in Him, and He supplies our every need through His glorious riches (Ephesians 3:16-19). We hunger and thirst for more of Him, and He fills us to overflowing (Matthew 5:6; Luke 6:38).

Prayer:

Father God, we want to enjoy Your presence in our spirit and soul on a continual basis. You give us health for our body and soul as we drink our fill from the wells of Your salvation (Isaiah 12:3). Draw us to Your presence and fill us with Your Spirit in ever-increasing heights of spirituality and satisfaction in our soul (Psalm 23:4).

Through the examples of the Saints of old, You taught us of the futility of attempting to find solace for our spiritual thirst by seeking fulfillment from things of this world (Ecclesiastes 2:1-12, 12:13). Remind us that there are no works of righteousness, which we can do to satiate our thirst, other than simply coming to Christ for salvation and walking in Your preordained will for our life (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Thought for the Day:

Satiating our thirst will never occur if we simply observe the water and do not drink; we must come to Christ for salvation in order to enjoy the benefits inherent in this decision to partake of His living water.

A Life Worth Living

Life is only worth living as we live it for God. Jesus surrendered all to Our Father - even His crucifixion and death on the cross (Matthew 26:36-56). He gave us this example to follow.

God is more than one who answers our prayers. He is Supreme Ruler of the universe. We owe Him our allegiance. The least we can do is to surrender all to Him.

Once we realize the true meaning of Christ abiding in us, we appreciate our unity with Him, depend on Him for every breath we take, and trust in His grace and love.

He gives us power for our service for Him, gladness in our fellowship with Him and His Saints, and security in His goodness and provision for all of our daily needs.

Since God supplies all of our needs, if we do not have something we want, this means that we do not really need it at this time in our life. As we wait patiently on His timing and will, He will put His desires in our heart and we will live in true contentment.

When we surrender to God our cares in this life, we not only improve our outlook on life, but also our physical health, our emotional balance and our spirit's well-being.

We dedicate every waking moment to Him: serving in the vocation, ministering in the neighborhood and church family, and dedicating our fun times to the service to which He calls us.

We enter His rest, bask in His presence and walk in His will each moment of our day and night. We join all of creation in groaning for His glorious redemption and appearing (Romans 8:19-22).

His abiding presence in our life fills us with hope, gives us His joy as our strength and inspires us to live in the happiest place on earth - the very center of His will.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that sin separates us from You, and apathy will rob us of the joy of our salvation. You reveal to us Your path of life and in Your presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). You never hide Your face from your children as we walk in Your will and love You with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27).

We joy in Your continual presence in our life, we delight in doing Your will which You write on our heart, and we draw from Your constant strength which supports us throughout our day (Habakkuk 3:18; Psalm 40:8). We owe You all of our praise and dedicate our life only to you.

Thought for the Day:

We rest in undisturbed repose, unimaginable joy and a life blessed with quietness and worship as we totally surrender every aspect of our life to God.

Entering God's Rest

Read: Proverbs 3:5-8

"The one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”
- Hebrews 4:10

The theme of "rest" occurs all throughout the Bible. Leviticus 23:7-36 and Numbers 29:1-35 are detailed and picturesque images of what it means to rest in the Lord. In the beginning, God demonstrated for us how to rest, by ceasing from His own labors on the seventh day (Gen 2:1-25).

Rest is a beautiful word. This state of peace invokes a multitude of mental images, such as serene lakes, babbling brooks, graceful swans, a hammock on a spring day, fluffy pillows and a comforter, or an overstuffed chair and a good book. These ideas denote serenity, tranquility, relaxation, repose and sleep.

Rest is freedom from activity or labor, a state of motionlessness, a serene place of lodging, peace that passes all comprehension, a rhythmic silence in music and a bodily state characterized by minimal function and slowed metabolic activities. There is no striving in rest. Rest is more than all of this, however. Most importantly it includes peace of mind and spirit.

Rest is quiescent, motionless, supportive, quiet, rejuvenating and free from anxiety and stress. Examples of rest are to decompress, relax at ease, leisure time, catnapping, dozing, lazing, napping, slumbering, snoozing, stillness, calm, placidity, respite and restfulness. I don’t know about you, but after reading that list, I am ready for a nap!

Throughout the course of history, mankind spent countless hours of time and a tidy sum of money searching for serenity. However, it is not until we find peace with God that we fully enter into our eternal rest. Entering God’s rest means to no longer strive to please God, or to worry about meeting our needs or to rely on our self-efforts (Hebrews 4:1-11). It means to fully trust in our Heavenly Father's love and care, and to allow His Spirit to lead us every step of the way.

Christ’s work upon the cross and God's promises to meet all of our needs sustain us with joy in our hearts (Hebrews 4:3). God advises us not to stress over the evil person, who prospers, because He encourages us to be still before Him and to wait patiently for Him to exact His revenge (Psalm 37:7). Do not even be impressed with your own wisdom (Psalm 127:2). Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones (Proverbs 3:7).

If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior (Matthew 11:28-30). If you already trusted in Christ for Salvation, then rely on Him for every other area of your life as well, and enter into His rest (Exodus 33:14). Take some time to sit in God’s presence and come away renewed and refreshed (Mark 6:31).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I vow to serve You with all of my heart. I will no longer depend upon my own understanding, but I will put all of my trust in You. I will seek Your will in all that I do, and wait on You to show me which path to take. I will enter into Your rest and find complete solace in Your waiting arms (Isaiah 50:10).

Thought for the Day:

One of the most healing states of being is that of resting.