Are You Thirsty?

A few months ago my husband and I visited his brother in El Paso, Texas. Located in the Chihuahuan Desert, El Paso is dry and mountainous. Water is a precious commodity that is used sparingly there and paid for dearly.

In contrast, there is water at every turn in our daughter’s home state of Minnesota. Known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, Minnesota actually sports nearly 12,000 of these bodies of water. Though plentiful, water is still recognized as a valuable and protection-worthy resource.

We treasure water because it is essential to all forms of life. The human body is made up of 50-70% water. Water dissolves nutrients so they can be absorbed by the various organs. Our bodies cannot live without ingesting water.

There can be water all around us, but unless we drink it in, it does us no good. Water outside our bodies cannot sustain us.

Likewise, the soul cannot live without God. King David writes: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)

The problem is not that God isn’t around or isn’t enough. The problem is we fail to lift our cups to Him and allow Him to fill us with His presence. Or we try to fill our spiritual cups with the things this world offers. Matthew Henry advises, “The true Christian arises with a thirst after those comforts which the world cannot give, and has immediate recourse by prayer to the Fountain of the water of life.”

Are you spiritually thirsty? God says when we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13) SacredSpace.ie recommends contemplating God’s presence. “God is with me, but more, God is within me. Let me dwell for a moment on God's life-giving presence in my body, in my mind, in my heart, as I sit here, right now.” Fill my cup, Lord!

Blessings!

Pam

©2016 Pamela D. Williams

Move On

The other day while reading a devotional on SacredSpace.ie, the Lord highlighted two little words that appear at the bottom of every page on the website’s devotionals—Move on.

These two little words speak volumes. While their placement at the bottom of each devotional page on SacredSpace is merely an aid to turning the page when ready, “move on” resounds throughout Scripture as God addresses His people:

• Isaiah 43:18-19 “Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago. Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already—you can see it now!”
• Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.’”
• Luke 9:62 “Jesus said to him, ‘Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.’”
• Philippians 3:13-14 “The one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.” 
• Hebrews 5:12, 6:1 “There has been enough time for you to be teachers—yet you still need someone to teach you the first lessons of God's message . . . Let us go forward, then, to mature teaching . . .”
• Hebrews 12:1-2 "Let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end."

Sometimes, I find it hard to move on. I get comfortable—in a routine, a place, a way of doing things—and resist change. However, throughout my life, God has called me to “move on”—to new places, new opportunities, new challenges, new ways of thinking—and the changes have always been good. I may not recognize the goodness for a while, but eventually I have that “Aha” moment when I put on my God-glasses and see things from His point of view.

Is God calling you to “move on” in some area of your life? What have you learned from obeying that call in the past?

Blessings!

Pam

And for all our UMC friends, no, this post does not mean we are moving this year! LOL!

 ©2016 Pamela D. Williams