Tag Archives: God

Thirsty?

Posted on by under Salvation

Nothing beats a cup of cold water on a hot summer day.81abe43416489ac66371805e106cd390

Just as our bodies hunger and thirst for physical food and water, our souls hunger and thirst for spiritual food and water.

One of my favorite Bible stories is Jesus talking to the woman at the well (John 4:1-26). No respectable Jewish man would be caught talking to one like her. For she was a despised Samaritan woman, a member of the mixed race that the Jews hated. She was also known to be living in sin.

I love that Jesus crossed all barriers to share the good news of the gospel with her.3b369e614d01db8539a984f32a156ac4

In the heat of the day, Jesus stopped by the well where she was drawing water. He said to her:

Will you give me a drink?”  – John 4:7

Surprised, the Samaritan woman said:

You are Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” – v. 9

Jesus answered:

If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water . . . whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  – vs. 10, 13-1456c8bd70bcf235d876ca31a292cb3b51

What did Jesus mean by “living water”? Several Old Testament verses speak about thirsting for God as one thirsts for water (Psalm 42:1; Isaiah 55:1; Jeremiah 2:13; Zechariah 13:1).

God is called the fountain of life (Psalm 36:9) and the spring of water (Jeremiah 17:13). Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah by forever quenching a person’s thirst for God (John 4:25-26). Only the Messiah can give this gift that satisfies the soul’s desire.

Are you spiritually thirsty? There is only One who can forever quench your thirst. His name is Jesus.

Today’s Word

Posted on by under Salvation

May I share a word with you?

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The Apostle John continued:

Through Him all things were made . . . . In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.”  – vs. 3-4

John’s use of the Word in Hebrew Scripture is linked with Genesis 1. God created by speaking the universe into orderly existence. Hebrew thought also associated Word as the source of God’s message through His prophets (Hosea 1:2) and God’s law—His standard of holiness (Psalm 119:11).

The philosopher Heraclitus (c. 535-475 B.C.) used the Greek thought of Word/logos as the divine logic, “an ordering principle for the universe.”

John used the Word to describe Jesus as God–a guy he knew and loved, but at the same time was Creator of the universe who perfectly revealed God the Father’s character and holiness.

The educated Greek reader would have understood John’s summary as Christ being the truth; not only the guiding principle of the universe, but also of every person’s soul. Thus, by the person of Christ—the Logos—one may attain harmony with God and His creation.

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 When Christ became human He became:

  1. the perfect teacher who showed us how we should think (Philippians 2:5-11)
  2. the perfect example who showed us not only how to live, but also enables us to do so (1 Peter 2:21)
  3. the perfect sacrifice that satisfied God’s requirements for the removal of our sin (Colossians 1:15-23)

Jesus is not only our Creator and Sustainer, but He also holds our universe together (Colossians 1:15-17). If we try to live apart from Him, the purpose for which God made us will be void.

To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God–children not born of natural descent. . . but born of God.”  – John. 1:12-13, NIV

Anyone who welcomes Jesus Christ as Lord of their life is reborn spiritually, receiving new life from God. Just as being born physically makes you alive and places you in your parents’ family, being born of God makes you spiritually alive and places you as His child (John 3:1-6).

By trusting and receiving Christ, the Holy Spirit will dwell in you (Romans 8:9-10; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 13:5). God won’t force Himself on anyone, but He will breathe new life into the surrendered soul. He will also rearrange attitudes, desires, and motives.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Have you asked Christ to make you a new person? It’s not too late. This new life is available to all who place their confidence in Jesus Christ, ask for His forgiveness, and confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:8-10).

Works God Requires

Posted on by under Service

School is out and for the summer. My kids are electrified.

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Wish I felt the same. Actually, I am excited to go biking and camping with Eric and the kids, and visit relatives. With baseball season extending through June, then swim lessons and basketball camp, summer will come and go all too soon. I began planning my next posts, afraid my writing will become jumbled with my kids being home. (My desk is the kitchen table. Sigh.) So please be patient if I become more scattered—makes for a good excuse anyway! 🙂

Since I haven’t written much about “Service,” I thought I would explore there. And I am, but not sharing what I envisioned in terms of hands-on ministry ideas and examples, at least not yet. The Lord keeps reminding me of the following passage:

 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”  – John 6:28-29

In this passage, pisteuō is the Greek word for believe. It means not just to credit as real: “Even the demons believe (in one God)—and shudder,” James 2:19. But this term also means to trust; be persuaded of; place confidence in. It implies reliance upon.

God’s satisfaction with us is based on our trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, not on the works we do.

Yes, “faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26), but our service, obedience, and following God are not substitutions for salvation or earning God’s favor. Rather, our service to God verifies our faith in Christ.

My next few posts will center on God’s saving faith through Jesus, the eternal God.

I have been blessed and challenged in sharing God’s truths here, as well as encouraged by reading several others’ posts. THANK YOU to everyone who has encouraged me in this pursuit. The Lord laid this blogging thing on my heart when my husband was sick in the hospital last winter. After some prayer, He made it clear what I should write—which I’m thankful. (Trust me, you don’t want to read about my daily tasks or what we ate for dinner.) 🙂 Anyway, I enjoy digging into God’s Word. I love how the Holy Spirit speaks personally to the sincere seeker.

Is there a topic you are interested in? What are your summer plans? Anyone planning a vacation? Camping? New job? New hobby? Old hobby? Any prayer requests? I would love to hear from you!

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Lose and Win

Posted on by under God's Call

Heavy load coming through.

heavy load

Proceed with caution.

Jesus didn’t mince words when He spoke about the cost of discipleship.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross cannot be my disciple.”  – Luke 14:25-35

Jesus wasn’t encouraging family conflict, disobedience to parents, or neglecting family responsibilities. But He often gave commands in light of His listeners’ real motives. Love of family is one of God’s laws, but even this can become an excuse not to serve God or do His work. Jesus challenged the crowds to evaluate their enthusiasm for Him and encouraged the superficial either to go deeper or turn back.

In Luke 14:28-30, Jesus compares the factors that go into building a tower to the cost of discipleship.

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If a builder doesn’t calculate the cost correctly, his building may be left half completed.

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 Likewise, if we don’t count the cost of following Christ we may be tempted to turn back when trials and persecution come.

To take up our cross and follow Jesus means being willing to publicly identify with Him. Commitment may separate us from loved ones and friends because of conflicting values, goals, and purposes. As Christians, we will most likely experience opposition and face suffering–possibly even death–for Jesus’ sake.

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”  – Luke 9:24-25

Christ calls us to a higher mission than settling into the comforts of this life. Earthly status, riches, and comforts can not repay for loss of eternal life. Following Christ is hard work and costly now, but compared to eternity, our time here is like a blink of an eye. In the long run, following Christ is well worth any sacrifice. 

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Wandering

Posted on by under Service

Last weekend, Eric (my husband), took me for my second ride on my dual sport motorcycle. (My first experience riding is posted under Driving Knowledge.) This time I drove down a gravel road.

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My boys are better riders than I am. . . . But I’m getting off track.

  And that was my riding problem. I found my bike dancing on parts of the gravel, unsure of which track to take at times. Eric calls it wandering. (Don’t worry, Mom, I didn’t crash. I just felt like I might.)

I learned the following tips when caught wandering:

  • Don’t fight the bike as it moves. Speeding up helps. (I kept slowing down, which made it worse.)
  • Pick your riding line, (more compacted car tracks), in the distance and follow it. (I wanted to look down.)
  • Keep your arms relaxed, but firm. Don’t over-correct steering. (Pliers might release my grip from the handlebars!)
  • Transfer weight to the foot pegs, like you’re going to stand up. (My position? Hunched forward; tight.)
  • Lastly, don’t over-think it. (What does that mean?!)

Sounds like an accident waiting to happen? I know . . . but don’t worry, I won’t be riding near you—at least not on purpose.

IMG_0446_1_1If the following spiritual analogy wanders a bit from my motorcycle 101 lesson, I’ll be on track with my theme, right?

Peter’s Wandering

After Jesus fed the 5,000 plus people on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He sent His disciples ahead of Him by boat across the lake so He could spend some time alone in prayer (Matthew 14:22-32). Several hours later, the disciples found themselves caught in a storm and tossed about by large waves.

It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  – Matthew 14:26, NIV

           Jesus said: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  – vs. 27

 You know the rest of the story. Peter said:

          “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

I imagine Peter experienced a fair amount of wandering as he got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water.

But to his credit, he got out of the boat.

Look to Jesus

When Peter’s vision transferred from Jesus to the surrounding high waves, he panicked and began to sink.

But to his credit, he reached out to Christ, the only One who could help.

Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’”  -vs.31

When we become serious about following Christ and join Him in His kingdom work, we will eventually run into some rough places. Although the disciples lost sight of Jesus, He did not lose sight of them. Recognizing Jesus’ presence is the cure to fear.

When we find ourselves wandering, let’s look to Jesus–not our inadequacies–or we may also despair and sink.