“There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
the grave, the barren womb,
land, which is never satisfied with water,
and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
You don't have to have lived in the desert to have seen parched earth, do you? Many of us who enjoy gardening have experienced the frustration of coaxing plants along, only to have them succumb to drought conditions!
Some of us have seen the way that dry earth can form large cracks on the surface, for lack of moisture. I remember when I was a child I poured water into one of those cracks and it never seemed to fill up with water.
In much the same way, we can never be satisfied until the Holy Spirit pours Himself into us -- and we need a fresh infilling each and every day!
Isaiah 44:3 tells us:
For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
And David tells us in Psalm 42: 1-2:
Jesus told His disciples, and we need to hear it too . . . the absence of the Holy Spirit will bring dissatisfaction, discouragement, and defeat. The Spirit will instruct us, and will guide us in all things. How miserable we are when we don't have Him in our lives! But I received the Spirit when I was saved, you say . . .yes, but it is clear from the Word that we can grieve the Spirit (Eph 4:30), and we can quench Him (I Thess. 5:19). We must repent of our sins each day and ask Him to work freely through us. Then we can have the satisfaction He gives. We can have His presence afresh each day.
You don't have to have lived in the desert to have seen parched earth, do you? Many of us who enjoy gardening have experienced the frustration of coaxing plants along, only to have them succumb to drought conditions!
Some of us have seen the way that dry earth can form large cracks on the surface, for lack of moisture. I remember when I was a child I poured water into one of those cracks and it never seemed to fill up with water.
In much the same way, we can never be satisfied until the Holy Spirit pours Himself into us -- and we need a fresh infilling each and every day!
Isaiah 44:3 tells us:
For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
And David tells us in Psalm 42: 1-2:
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Is the Spirit free to work in us today?
I may have told this story before, so please forgive me if I did. I just think it is a perfect example of today's topic.
ReplyDeleteI was in a room full of people I had just met, at a hunting camp of sorts. The tv was tuned in to a program about people who had multiple tattoos and body piercings. They were showing what these people were like, and how they continued to add more and more to their bodies and I have to say, some of them looks pretty crazy.
I made a comment that had everyone looking at me as if I was the crazy one...
"Those people are trying to fill a hole in their life that only God can fill."
It was so very obvious to me watching that show. How often do we try to fill space in our lives that seem empty, but they are "God shaped"????
It never ceases to amaze me how those of us who are "old" christians, still want to try and gratify the flesh with things we know have no lasting effect! The Lord God is offering us living water, so that we never thirst again! Not instant gratification, but eternal satisfaction.
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