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.

From Self-Effort to Christ-Reliance

 

Living in this world apart from Christ is wearisome at best. Even as Believers we embrace the false doctrine that we have to try harder and strive more to please God and to grow spiritually.

We struggle from day to day and almost never awaken without some trepidation over what will happen to us next. Trouble seems to happen in "threes," and we are always waiting for the next shoe to drop.

We think of these trials as building character in us and transforming us into the image of Christ; so we patiently continue to prod along making the best of every negative circumstance.

Most of us need a breaking point in our life in order to step over the line from self-effort to Christ-reliance. Therefore, trials are actually like the Law - designed to bring us to the end of our self and to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24-26).

God encourages us to take our focus off our competent human abilities or our mortal frailty, and to concentrate on the reality of Christ in us instead (Colossians 1:27; Colossians 3:3-4; Galatians 2:20).

As we do, we start to live a victorious life apart from human effort and understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). We enter into rest in God's presence, which provides us with deep inner peace and fulfillment regardless of our circumstances (Hebrews 4:10).

Jesus delivers us from the bondage of every negative emotion, wound and issue we experience, and brings us astounding joy which defies description and is full of His glory (1 Peter 1:8; James 1:2-18).

God's Spirit helps us to see our problems as adventures rather than as challenges. Our supply for each circumstance, and the wisdom to deal with it come from Christ in us, our only hope for success (Colossians 1:27).

God orchestrates every nuance of our life. His abundant light overcomes the densest gloom. His power and majesty slay every demon in spiritual darkness, which comes against us (1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:3; Daniel Chapters 9 and 10).

As we decrease, He increases (John 3:30). We exhibit more and more of Christ’s divine nature and we never, ever leave His presence (2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

His Spirit leads us moment by moment in the center of His will for our life, transforms our character with the nature of Christ, and replaces our carnality with the fruit of His Spirit (2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, nothing this world has to offer can take the place of Your goodness and grace. When the issues of life become more than we can bear, we sit on Your lap and snuggle in the safety of Your arms. This provides us with a ring-side seat to view the seed for a miracle, which You place within every trial, as it sprouts into fruition.

You designed salvation so that abiding in Christ is accomplished by one swift act of total surrender. It may take a deep trial, a layoff from work, rejection from a mate or a week-end retreat; but when our soul finally yearns for You alone, we readily relinquish our will to Yours.

Thought for the Day:

We no longer work out our own issues in life using God's strength to fuel our human effort, because we come to the realization that we can live life only as His Spirit leads each moment of our day and provides us with the desire, wisdom and strength to walk in the center of His will. 

- Philippians 2:12-13

Surviving the Storms of Life

Life hands us lemons; and mental health experts tell us to make lemonade out of them. We are drowning in circumstances, and we are supposed to take time out and have the presence of mind to "make lemonade".

Wave after wave of misfortune strike. It's hard to breathe. We despair of hope at times. As we sink into the abyss of life, God calls out to us to cling to Him as our life raft.

God's love and hope help us to float as we put our faith in His faithfulness (Romans 5:5). He works out even the most dire of circumstances for our good (Romans 8:28).

Without Christ abiding in us, we often turn to bars, drugs, vocation, people and places to change our circumstances. This rarely helps. We cannot trust in the riches of this world, because they are here today and gone tomorrow.

It is only when we fully surrender to God's plan for our life that we experience joy when devastation surrounds us. We trust in our living God, because He always gives us all good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).

We all need faith and love; but without hope, they are impossible to attain. When our expectations are for God alone, trusting in Him helps us to experience deep abiding hope (Psalm 62:5).

God is able to do so much more for us than we can ask for or even imagine, because of His mighty power that is working within us (Ephesians 3:20).

He gives us his peace and hope as we walk in His precepts and worship Him with our whole body, soul and spirit (Jeremiah 29:1; Deuteronomy 6:5; Mathew 22:37). We find rest for our world-weary soul in God alone, who is the only true hope for this lost and dying world (Psalm 62:5).

Prayer:

Father God, throughout life, we diligently place our full hope in the assurance of Your love for each one of us (Hebrews 6:11). We trust You for the provision of our daily needs, our earthly safety and the needs of our soul and spirit as well.

You are the anchor of our soul and You keep us steadfast during any stormy swells. You remind us that we will enter the veil of Your Most Holy Place for eternity (Hebrews 6:19). Keep us ever faithful and help us to fulfill Your purpose for each moment of our day.

Thought for the Day:

Due to the grace we receive when the revelation of Christ was birthed in our heart, we are faithful and sober and keep our hope in Christ until the end, when He will come in all of His glory. - 1 Peter 1:13