Obey Your Thirst Series

If you and I are going to do what God says then we must believe that He knows what He is talking about and that He knows better than we do (note last week’s message).

Obedience means doing what God says even if it is not popular; even if it is not what I want to do.

“just do it!”

Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, “Look, I’m going to leave. And while I’m gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I’m away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip.”

Everyone agrees. He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess--weeds flourishing in the flower beds, windows broken across the front of the building, the gal at the front desk dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered a great loss.

Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, “What happened? Didn’t you get my letters?” You say, “Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We’ve even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have ‘letter study’ every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters.”

I think the president would then ask, “But what did you do about my instructions?” And, no doubt the employees would respond, “Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!”

Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p. 242

God didn’t give us Ten Suggestions, they are Ten Commandments. He knows what is best for us. Honest!

So when he says…

* … don’t have sex unless you are married ( and then make sure you are only having sex with the person you married!) He knows what is best for you. So OBEY him.

* … don’t lie, and you know you are going to get in trouble, take the consequences, and tell the truth.

* … to honor Him with our giving and our worship – just do it. Trust Him, make the commitment, make the sacrifice. He knows what He is talking about. You friends might think you are a fool for going to church, or nuts for giving money to God, but you need to do what God says… period.

We are all thirsty, and God can quench our thirst, if we obey him.

If you and I just learn to cry out to God, “Dad – I am thirsty, can you satisfy me?” He will.

Psalm 107:8-9 – “…Give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for … he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. (NIV)

As you and I do this, as we tap into God as the solution to our thirst, we can expect the following:

1) God will give us joy (even in our troubles)

Psalm 51:12 - Make me as happy as you did when you saved me; make me want to obey! (CEV)