Come Hungry. Come Thirsty.

Come Hungry. Come Thirsty.

In order to survive, our bodies require food and water. Our bodies express these critical needs in the form of physical hunger and thirst. In order to have eternal life, our souls require a different kind of food and water. Our souls express these critical needs in the form of spiritual hunger and thirst.

After 40 days without food, when Satan tried to get Jesus to sin by proving He was the Son of God (turning stones into bread), Jesus addressed a much more important issue than His physical hunger – He stated the critical truth about God’s Word being an essential aspect our spiritual lives.

• Luke 4:1-4 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”

While talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus turns a conversation about immediate physical thirst to a lesson about spiritual longing for eternal life – He shared the truth that He is the only way to everlasting life. 

• John 4:13-15 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Physical hunger and thirst are among the most natural experiences in life. Spiritual hunger and thirst are among the many extraordinary supernatural gifts given by God to man.

We hunger for truth. 

We thirst for eternal life. 

Come hungry and listen to Jesus – let Him satisfy your hunger for the truth found only in God’s Word!  

Come thirsty and believe in Jesus – let Him quench your thirst for eternal life that is found only in Him!

• John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for giving us a hunger for truth and a thirst for eternal life. Please continue to use these supernatural gifts to draw many to salvation in Jesus Christ. Also, please keep those who have already surrendered to Jesus hungry and thirsty for You, Your Son and Your Spirit. We hunger and thirst for you!! I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Beautiful Boasting

Beautiful Boasting

We love to boast about what we know, what we have done, and what we have. We tell our family and friends all about it. We post photos and videos on social media. We proudly display our diplomas, trophies and possessions for all to see. We tell everyone who will listen and get our feelings hurt when they aren’t impressed. We form much of our self-image based on these things. And all the while, society applauds and encourages this glorification of self. This aspect of our human nature is ugly!

God clearly tells us not to be this way. He also tells us what we should be boasting about.

• Jeremiah 9:23-24 This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. 24 But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken! (NLT)

Jehovah God should be the most important thing in our lives. Our conversations, social media presence, possessions, accomplishments, etc. should point others to Him. We should be celebrating and sharing with others our knowledge of Him, our relationship with Him, and our appreciation for all that He has done for us. We should be telling everyone about His amazing love and His awesome attributes. This is beautiful boasting!!

• Psalm 34:1-3 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. 2 I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. 3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. (NLT)

It is good to enjoy and acknowledge the blessings of this life. But as followers of Jesus, our goal is to bring honor and glory and praise to our Heavenly Father (not to ourselves).

• 1 Peter 4:11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. (NLT)

Beautiful boasting brings glory to God! 

Prayer

Dear Lord, please help us to keep all aspects of our lives in proper perspective as we seek Your face and share Your truth with others. Forgive us when we bring too much attention to ourselves and fail to share Your love with the world. Teach us to boast only in You! I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.