Thirsty...

John 7: 37-39

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 4:11-14

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Our souls hunger and thirst, just like our flesh does. How do we feed our soul?

Christ is the Bread of Life. He tells us that those who thirst will thirst no more-when we come to Him.

If you think about it-in regards to food and nourishment-we can learn all we want about healthy eating, we can study it and we could look at all the healthy food all day long but if we don't eat it and fill ourselves up with it, what purpose does it serve? What good does it do us to just know the truth about it, to just watch others eat healthy.

When we decide to eat healthy and wisely, what changes? Do we feel refreshed? Do we come alive and have more energy? Does it take a desire and self discipline to eat healthy and make wise choices about our food and drink and what we put into our bodies? Do we have to focus on it until it becomes natural? Isn't that the same way with our Spiritual appetite as well?

What good does it do us to just know the truth about Christ? Not much. We need to make it a priority to feed our souls with Him. He is the Bread of Life. When we drink from His well, we will thirst no more. But it doesn't just happen. We have to put Him first. We have to make the effort and take the time out of the busyness of life to be self disciplined and to make room for Him.

When we come to Him, He will fill us up. His Holy Spirit will fill us up with rivers of rushing water when we put Him first-over all else...over exercise, over work, over our family, over our spouse, over our children, over our things, over our comforts, over our fears, over all.

The Bible is called His Living Word.

He is the Bread of Life.

In Him we will no longer be thirsty.

What do we allow to "fill us up"?

The things of this world or Him?

Let's be honest with ourselves. A good view into this-is to look at where we spend our downtime? If we work and/or care for our family 8 hours a day and sleep 8 hours a day, where do we choose to spend the rest of our time? Focused on who?

Even the bad guys take care of their own family...

I remember when I lived in Beverly Hills back in the late 90s. Our priest told a story that has stuck with me ever since. He told about a lady at his church who had eight children. She had no help and she had so much to do to care for her children, but yet she was the one who volunteered the most at the church. She volunteered to serve the poor, feed the hungry, love the unloved. She allowed herself to be inconvenienced. She chose to serve and not be served. Christ was first in her life and everyone saw that without her having to say a word.

Lord- I love you so much. Help me to be wise with my time. Thank you dear Lord for giving me ears to hear You as You often make me aware when I am wasting my time on things that are self indulgent. I am grateful I am becoming more and more aware of this. I pray that I may go to sleep earlier so I may wake up earlier and spend my mornings with you. I desire to put you first in my day and may nothing else come before you each morning. I struggle with this. I don't understand why I want it but my flesh does not always do this. Help me Lord to be self-disciplined for I can not do it alone, only through your Spirit. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that fills me up. I do get confused on the Scriptures though because I can never get enough of You-my thirst for You oh Lord is never quenched. I always long for more. But my soul is satisfied in You alone-so I guess that is what it means. I love you Lord!