Isaiah 44:3 MSG.
For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
When I think about the word thirsty, I wonder about the different degrees of the word.
Sorta thirsty, Really thirsty, or Desperately in need of hydration.
We've all been there, especially when we were kids... I mean so thirsty, we thought we were going to die if we didn't get a drink. Then finally, having our thirst quenched until we said, enough was enough!
We also knew exactly what we were thirsty for, when we were kids it wasn't water, we wanted kool aid, juice, and soda...anything with sugar, but never plain ole water
We have the luxury in life, in our appetite for the thirst of our desires, to do just that and be specific, with everything we pursue.
Some people pursue fame and fortune, some pursue careers, others music and sports.
Everyone thirst for something, why isn't in all our quests what we thirst for, more of God? After all God's favor and blessing on our life, accelerates our pursuit like none other, of all our other thirsts and desires.
So why not start our quest each day, with the one who makes all things possible each day? Human nature loves recognition, thing is, who's recognition do we desire more...
God's recognition, or man's?
We all know that David, was a man after God’s own heart, but why did God loved him so much, that God had those words recorded in scripture for all of eternity?
One thing about our pursuit is, God loves being pursued in our relationship we have with Him.
We know that God is a re-warder of those who seek Him out and David sought the things of God, his whole life through. The Bible records, Davids victories one after another, yes David had an amazing relationship with God!
Psalm 27:4-6 MSG
4 I’m asking God for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
I’ll study at his feet.
5 That’s the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.
6 God holds me head and shoulders
above all who try to pull me down.
I’m headed for his place to offer anthems
that will raise the roof!
Already I’m singing God-songs;
I’m making music to God.
Is that what was on your mind this morning, did you come with making music to God on your mind, when you drove to church?
Why not? It should be the number one thing on your mind, when you come into the house of God!
Psalms 63:1-4 NKJ
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your loving kindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
This is great advice from a giant slayer! If you're going to seek out advice from someone, for what they have done with their life. Its always a smart thing to seek advice from someone who has been battle tested, and been Victorious!
David was a life long seeker of God! He never stopped thirsting in his quest, of pursuing his relationship, he had with the "Way Maker!" And God always made a way for him, and God is willing to do the same for you!
David knew where to find God, it wasn’t out in the world in a dry thirsty land,
It was in the intimacy of worship he found, what his soul needed, was nourished and found that God's power and Glory, could be experienced first hand.
Davis spent his whole life in the desperately thirsty category, constantly seeking after the things of God!
It makes perfect sense why God wanted the world to know, the kind of relationship He had with David.
We should all strive to have the same or better relationship with our maker,
we can you know, we have the same opportunity that David did. God is not a respecter of people,
The thing that God does respect and reward is diligence, in the pursuit and thirst of a relationship with Him!
Psalms 23:6 NKJ
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
What He did for David, He will certainly do anyone who desperately seeks after Him.
Are you a pursuer this morning? Are you a seeker?
Don't come to church, to be an observer....come to the house of God to drink of His living water and have your thirst quenched!
He did it for the women with issue of blood in Mark 5:25-29 MSG.
25-29. A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well." The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.
She could have given up you know, I mean she had tried everything under the sun, but to no avail.
She had been aggressive to say the least, in her pursuit to wellness,
but it wasn’t until she quit focusing on what she was capable of,
And became desperate for what Jesus could do, did she see relief from her condition,
But she not only saw relief, she saw complete wellness, healing and restoration.
Her faith had moved Jesus to heal her, not her condition and certainly not her pleas.
Its easy to get distracted by circumstances (both personal and of the world)
But the only thing that matters is not what we can do for ourselves, or what the world has to offer,
But what God can do in our lives, when we seek him with all we have, in every situation and rely on His unmerited favor, for everything in and around our lives. Amen?
Paul the Apostle learned that lesson almost better than anyone.
Philippians 3:7-9 MSG.
7-9. The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules (he’s talking about the law and all of its do’s and don’ts) when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.
(which is, the unending grace that still flows from the cross)
All three examples that I have shared with you, have been individuals that were willing to use their faith, desperately seek God and were rewarded by doing so.
Lets reread our text;
Isaiah 44:3 MSG.
For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
TBS. Water will be poured on him who is thirsty
Water represents, the Spirit of God
If you are thirsty for God, God will pour out His Spirit on you.
Its only then, you will experience, personal revival and the presence of Gods blessings, power and anointing
TBS. Matthew 5:6— Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled
And it won’t just be on you, it will be evident to everyone around you! Amen?
It will be like someone turned on the light, in a dimly lighted room!
People will say, I don’t know what happened to so and so, but whatever happened to them, Lord let the same thing, happen to me.
Thirst after the righteousness of God and He will let it happen to you to,
Matthew 6:38 NKJ.
38. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
If you don’t hold anything back, neither will He!
God is not in the withholding business! And we shouldn't be in the withholding business either!
We should be in the Praising business! If your looking to get God's attention to what your need is, and have your need met....I'd be singing His praise if I was you!
I don't feel like singing...ok then stay in your need as long as you need!
But when your ready to come out of your need...
I would encourage you to lift up your voice, your thirst and your desire, and sing a little chorus from days gone by.
Chorus
Put on the garment of praise
For the spirit of heaviness
Lift up your voice to God
Praise with the Spirit
And with understanding
Oh magnify the Lord!
And begin to praise your way, and your accent out of your need
God is in the Blessing Business! So Bless Him!
I think sometimes we're quick to forget, but God's goodness and mercy never leave us, nor their pursuit of our well being ever stop!
God's Favor, is all encompassing! Revel in it, walk in it, cherish it, inhabit it, and realize what God's Favor wants to do for you!
3 John 2-4 the Voice
2 My beloved friend, I pray that everything is going well for you and that your body is as healthy as your soul is prosperous. 3 I was thrilled when the brothers and sisters came and told me stories of your faithfulness as you continue to walk in the truth. 4 The greatest joy in my life is hearing how my children are walking in the truth.
These are the inspired words of God. He truly delights in and it gives Him great joy, when we walk in His truth and pursue our relationship with Him!
Water is vitally important to our physical bodies
The human body is ? water.
The body absorbs cold water faster than hot water.
By the time you are 70-years-old, you will have consumed 1.5 million gallons of water
If you loose 2% of your body’s water supply, your
energy will decrease by 20%. A 10% decrease in water,
you will be unable to walk, and a 20% decrease – you’re dead.
How much more important, is the living water, that Jesus has given us to partake and drink of?
Thirst for the things of God,
If you give a little, God will give you more!
If you give a lot, God will give you a lot more!
Let Him quench your thirst,
He will do things in your life that you never dreamed of!
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness all start with your pursuit and thirst level, of your relationship with God!
Let's pray...
