May 2010

Do You Thirst?

Isaiah 55:1
Wait and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy priceless [spiritual] wine and milk. Without money and without price [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing].
There is nothing quite like a drink that refreshes us when we are thirsty, just dry or even when we are really tired. That drink refreshes our whole being and revitalises us as we live.
The invitation taken from the Old Testament is to freely receive that drink that refreshes.

Isaiah 41:17-18 : The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.
The afflicted are seeking water, something real to satisfy their thirst. However the invitation is not for physical drink but spiritual drink

Isaiah 44:3-4 : For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants; And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.'
Our desire is to see God satisfy us with refreshing, but not temporal relief from barrenness but one that will last for generations

Psalm 42:1-2 : As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
We all have been given by our creator God an inward desire for Him a longing that is so deep within it is only God that can satisfy. We so often go after things that are less able to quench our thirst that we soon become desolate and barren again

Psalm 63:1: O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Again the Psalmist recognises his need. Although physical drink is available he sees the real refreshing that only God can provide. The land appears dry and weary because God has been removed from the centre of our desire. So How do we re-connect with this spiritual drink.

Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit to satisfy our thirst in the New Testament. Jesus at a well talks to a Samaritan woman
John 4:13-14 : Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
Jesus recognised that physical drink can satisfy your body but not your spirit, for spiritual refreshment we need spiritual drink!

John 7:37-39 : Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Because Jesus died and was resurrected, death, misery and pain have been defeated. Jesus has the drink that we need we only have to recognise our own weakness, accept Him as our Lord and Saviour and invite Him into our lives to receive eternal drink that refreshes deep in our Spirit

Revelation 21: 6-7:Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son
Revelation 7:16-17: They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."
If you recognise you are thirsty, believe on the promises of the Bible, If you are doubting them how will you ever know unless you drink. It is not about a religion but about having a relationship with Jesus. When He refreshes you, it will be the only drink you will ever want.

Jesus says in John 14:6 'I am the way and the truth and the life, No-one comes to the Father except through Me'

Peter said of Jesus
'You have the words of eternal life' John 6:68

The Lord Jesus is ready to help you as soon as you ask to know Him as Lord. Jesus Christ has paid for your sin, my sin and every ones sin by living a life free from sin and dying in our place so that we might know forgiveness of sin, and freedom eternally from the power of death and fear.

The bible says in Romans 10:9-10 'If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.'

Remember you can only deal with your own sin. Everyone has to answer to God for what they have done, but God is merciful and will forgive them too, when they are ready to come to Him. He will always accept you, and makes you the offer now of real, genuine love and resurrection life.

You need to say sorry to God for having offended Him by your sinful actions, and choose to walk in His ways instead. Ask Him to forgive you for your sins, repent of your sins and tell God you need His help to stop living in a way that pleases you, and tell him you want to live to please Him.

Invite Jesus Christ to come and be Lord of your life. Thank Him that He has bought you back from the road of darkness and destruction by giving His life for you, and releasing you from the burdens of rejection, guilt and shame. Bringing you fully into His wonderful light. Thank Jesus for this, and acknowledge His death and resurrection and ask His Holy Spirit to come into you right now and give you the power to change and you will find real acceptance in Him and He himself will show you the way forward.

Next step is to tell someone you have received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and find a church that really loves Jesus and lives for Him.

It will not be easy but will be the greatest and most joyful decision you have ever made.

If you have made this decision today E.Mail us and we will send you a Gospel of John and some helps to get you started in your new and exciting walk with Jesus.