Are you thirsty?
John 4:14 ---- Rev. B.J. Sims, Jr.
Inspired by Joyce Meyers
We all have things that we seem to think that we can’t live without. Ask my wife; she’ll tell you that I’m the same way. I think that I can’t make it with out being involved with golf some kind of way. Whether its playing 9 or 18 holes or watching the Golf Channel. The truth is that we can live without numerous things, but we can’t live without water. The human body requires 3 quarts of water a day to keep on living. Now that’s a true physical need! But we also have spiritual needs in our life. In John 4, Jesus is offering “Living Water” to a woman that has stopped by a well. We need to understand that this lady had a need that she was unaware of. We all have the same need too. We need a drink from the well of living water! We know that water is a requirement that sustains life, but water is also purifying, cleansing, refreshing. And through the Living Son of God- it’s available to all. Webster defines THIRST - a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids; the bodily condition that induces this sensation (dehydration); a desire or need to drink.
Many of us today suffer from thirstiness. Because we are not in tuned with God. We lack the desire to drink from the well of A.B.C. . God has sent us pastors who offer us relief from thirst. But we the people to many times catch a case of dehydration. We understand that water is in front of us but we just can’t seem to grasp at it. "You can lead a horse to water…but you can’t make him drink." The same is true of us. The pastor can lead you to the living water but he can’t make you indulge it. That’s your decision to make. Let’s look at John chapter 4 together and see what it takes to “quench a thirst.”
TELL THE STORY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
...Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink....
—Matthew 20:22
This was Jesus’ response to the request of the mother, of His disciples James and John, to sit at his side in the kingdom. Many people want God to bless them with an abundant blessing, but many are not ready to stop living a self-centered life. Self-centeredness is destructive road to travel.
God considers selfishness to be a low level of living.
We can choose to spend our lives trying to get what we want when we want it,
but it limits you to a lower life. There is a higher life. If we will not give up the lower life, we will never have the higher life. But if we are willing to give up the lower (natural) life, then God will give us the higher (spiritual) life. Jn 14:17 tells us that the world knows NOT the spirit of truth, due to blindness towards the spirit, but we who are called by his name know of the spirit because it dwells in us and us in the spirit. So I urge you to turn over a new leaf on life and live the high life. The life of abundance, life of assurance, and life of accountability. Which is tied into life eternal.
Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He had to lay down the lower life first before He got the higher life. In order to be promoted, as Jesus was, we must crucify the flesh. We must forget about ourselves—stop thinking about ourselves, talking about ourselves, and trying to get our own way. We got to invest in the lord, so we can benefit from divine dividends. For the benefit of investing all you have in Jesus will manifest a great payoff of eternal proportions. Elijah asked for a double portion. But we need more than double in this day and time. If you want the higher life, be willing to drink the cup that Jesus drank—the cup of unselfishness. Get ready for your portion. If your desire go to a higher level of life, You ought to be able to say:
"Father, in the name of Jesus, I break the bondage of selfishness
over my life. Thank you that I am free. Thank you that you were my example, of how to lay down a life of confusion and strife. Father I make my self-available for YOU. "
Once you have declared your life to God ----- GET TA STEPPIN’ !!!
I want to offer some encouragement for this journey that you have boldly decided to take. Many of us know the story of Joshua and the fall of the Jericho wall (Joshua 6), but if you don’t please read it because it is indeed a blessing. The Lord spoke to Joshua and told him that he had given the children of Israel the city of Jericho and everything in it. But, like any human looking at what seemed impossible they wondered how they would conquer this very well fortified city. God didn’t tell them to get their weapons together or call in the heavy artillery- NO BECAUSE GOD DOESN’T NEED ALL THAT! He told them to march around the wall for seven days and on the seventh day to march around the wall seven times and when the priest blows the trumpet and the people shout unto the Lord "then the wall of the city will fall down flat" (Joshua 6:5b).
OK STAY WITH ME, IT WILL HIT YOU IN A MINUTE. !!!!!!
God PROMISED the people the city, but they thought it to would be impossible; but God had a plan. How many know that when man says its Impossible; God is saying I’M POSSIBLE. Many times we encounter what often looks impossible, but we have to remember that impossible is not part of God’s vocabulary. God commanded the people to march around the wall ONCE for SIX days, which I think caused the people to increase their trust in what God was about to do. They had to PERSEVERE, and many times God is going to put us in places where we may not see the blessing right away, but we have to trust that it’s coming. We have to be thirsty for the outcome. Finally, on the seventh day the people were commanded to march around the wall seven times, until you hear the sound of the seven trumpets, and then they gave PRAISE to God. Now keep in mind that the praise was given before the wall fell (Hallelujah), so let’s not wait to praise and worship God when we have already received the blessing. The people didn’t have to do anything, because God was in control. The blessing came to pass because of the thirst for God’s promise of victory. He has promised us (as His children) many things, but we have to persevere through what may seem like impossible circumstances; but through it all we should be able to give God the praise and worship him with a thirstiness! Be like the Children of Israel and Thirst for the presence and power of God. Some of you are thirsty for Jesus, but you scared to drink of his cup. But I tell you from experience, at some point you going to have to drink of his goodness. Things in you life will become so dry ’til you cannot bare the pain of thirst. Gatorade won’t quiche it. Powerade sho nuff lacks the strength. But when you drink of the master’s cup, immediately you become refreshed and revived. You don’t have to worry if you can run this race, cause " It’s in you! " Run on, run on in grace, Get with God and drink of his cup and be ye REFRESHED.
DO YOU HAVE A THIRST FOR GOD?
DO YOU HAVE A THIRST CAN’T SEEMED TO BE QUENCHED?
JESUS IS YOUR THIRST QUENCHER.
JUST DRINK OF THE LIVING WATER. AND HAVE LIFE ETERNAL!
AMEN!
