“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.
Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches.
Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me. But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by Him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.” Psalm 63:1-11 (KJB)
Thirst
Jesus Speaks – Christmas Day One Hundred Ninety and Five
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (KJV)
Have you ever been hungry? I mean so hungry your belly began to swell from malnutrition, and you were getting weaker and weaker. I have never been that hungry.
Jesus’s words above are not about physical hunger, but a hunger for righteousness. A thirst for righteousness.
What do I want for Christmas?
I want that my greatest desire, hunger and thirst to be for righteousness to reign in my heart, mind and life; for my community, State, Nation and the world.
When righteousness reigns in our hearts there will be peace on earth. That righteousness is Jesus Christ.
Thirsting for GOD
“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.” Psalm 63:1-2 (KJV)
A declaration of faith. A lived faith. A faith that is walked in the LORD. That was David. He had the desire, and heart to seek God at every opportunity of his life; even while hiding from Saul in the wilderness.
Though separated from the sanctuary; the Tabernacle; David still desired to seek God. “Early” is not necessarily a time of day or morning; it expresses eagerness to be with God, in the quiet and still of the day.
Being with the LORD in His word, in prayer, hearing Him helps the Christian deal with life. If we have problem people we can love them with the love of God, and show them the love of Christ as we journey through our day.
I have never experienced a really dry mouth; having never been too far from a source of water; however, I have heard that it is a horrible thing. That is the comparison the Psalmist uses to say that he desires GOD, and to see His power and His glory.
We can see the power and the glory of God when we look upon the cross of Jesus Christ. It is a wonderful thing to have a place of worship, and know that you can meet GOD there. The Christian, however, needs to know, that, no matter where we are He is there with us. As a matter of fact we must worship Him; not once a week; but everyday, throughout the whole day, praying without ceasing, walking with Him, praising Him.
If you are not worshipping Him throughout the week what makes you think you can catch up on your worship on Sunday. No worship through the week. No worship on Sunday. Maybe that is why you go to Church on Sunday, and do not give anything, or receive anything from it. If you know Jesus worship Him. He is with you always.
They Shall Be Filled
The Be-Attitudes continuing…
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” Matthew 5:6 (KJV).
Remember the definition of “Attitude” is ‘the position of something in relation to something else’. In this case the subject is righteousness. Righteousness most easily defined is; ‘being right with God’. That would involve many things including worship, our deportment, both with God and with others.
The kingdom child is hungry for God and His ways. Righteousness is the way of God, and it is the way of the child of God to hunger for it. His/Her desire is for Jesus Christ and nothing else.
The individual who is righteous, because of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, will have a specific hunger and thirst. That hunger will be to devour the truth of God through His Word, and His Word affecting the direction our lives take for serving the Lord. It seems that it would be accurate to say that when Jesus was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness He had righteousness on His mind. He was physically hungry and thirsty, but when He was tested to turn stones to bread; he was more attuned to being right with His Father rather than disobedience.
The “Blessed” ones who hunger and thirst for/after righteousness, are those who labor in diligent, earnest hearing of the Word of God and prayer. They feed daily at the table of the BREAD OF LIFE. They drink deeply of the One who is the Water of Life.
O, that we as the people of God grew in that hunger; never completely filled; but satisfied with Jesus, wanting more of Him, and His righteousness. The thirst never completely quenched; with longing to drink from the well of the Water from Heaven. Drink from the ‘river of water’ that flows from out of the throne of God Himself (Revelation 22:1).
This hunger and thirst comes only into the hearts of those who have joyously received the free gift of God’s grace. Ones who have seen Jesus as the divine Son of God. The Ones who have seen Jesus dying for the sins of mankind upon the cruel cross so many years ago. The ones who have witnessed the resurrection power of Jesus per a changed life. You have been clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. You will never be filled without that hunger and thirst, and finding satisfaction through Him alone.
For the Thirsty
“If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” ~Jesus (John 7:37-38)
Bread of Life
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world….’
I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” ~Jesus (John 6:32-33, 35-40)
Through the Bible in a Year 072813
To Be Called By His Grace…
I. …WE ARE DELIVERED FROM CONDEMNING RELIGION (Galations 1:13-14)
II. …WE ARE CALLED TO A NEW LIFE AND MINISTRY (1:15-17).
III. …WE ARE DEAD WITH CHRIST; YET RISEN WITH HIM (Galations 2:18-21).
EVENING MESSAGE –
When the LORD is Great in Our Lives…
I. …WE WILL GUARD OUR WAYS AND OUR TONGUE (Psalm 39:1-5).
II. …WE WILL BE COMPASSIONATE TO OTHERS (Psalm 41:1-4).
III. …WE WILL REJOICE IN HIS GREATNESS (Psalm 48:1-7; Psalm 54:1-7.
IV. …WE WILL KNOW AND RECOGNIZE THE HEARTS OF WICKEDNESS (Psalm 58:1-5).
V. …WE WILL THIRST FOR GOD DAILY, AND OFTEN (Psalm 63:1-2).
VI. …WE WILL SEEK THE LORD FOR OUR KEEPING (Psalm 64:1-6).
The Worst of Famines
Behold, the days come,’ saith the Lord GOD, ‘that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, ‘Thy god, O Dan, liveth;’ and, ‘The manner of Beersheba liveth;’ even they shall fall, and never rise up again.'” Amos 8:11-14 (KJV)
This past Summer it was announced through many News sources that over fifty percent of our Nation was suffering from drought. I know it was so where we live in Southwest Missouri. With temperatures reaching into the hundreds several days in a row; nearly a month here; those scorching temps quickly put grass, hay crops, corn crops, and other grain crops and cattle and all livestock and outdoor animals in great peril. It also put many farmers livelihood in peril. The economy of these drought striken areas also are in peril; but that is so with our Nation too.
What do the above verses of Scripture have to do with our drought. Well, drought can often dead to famine. If grains do not grow, grass does not grow, then, the animals – livestock do not survive; thus eventually people will suffer, become malnourished, and die. It is happening in other parts of the world.
What would or could be the worst of famines? I know there are some who will disagree with my assessment of the situation; but the worst of famines is when the Word of God is not spoken. The reason the Word of God would not be spoken is that while it has been spoken God’s people turn their back on God and His Word, by doing their own thing, worshipping their own way, and in their own time; rather than God’s prescribed way, place, and time. Then God’s people start suffering for their refusal to hear the Word of God He will refrain from speaking any longer.
What will happen when this famine occurs? Spiritual, moral, and physical decay. There are many people today searching for the Word of God and to hear it, but they look in places contrary to His Word.
There is only one place to hear the Word of God, and that is through GOD’s Son Jesus Christ, and His death on the cross for our sins, His burial – carrying our sins away, and we are justified by His bodily resurrection. Believing Him you will hear His Word through the written Scriptures of the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit who will dwell in you.
-T.A.
The Fire and Hammer 