Are you thirsty?

This is a guest post by a good friend and blogger Vanessa Barnes

You can read more posts from Vanessa on her blog:

http://beautyandjoyinlittlethings.blogspot.com/

Have you ever been really thirsty?

I have. This one time I came home from being outside in the hot sun and all I wanted was some water. There was soda and juice, but I didn’t want it. All I wanted was a huge glass of ice cold water. So I poured a glass. Drank it. Poured another. As I was drinking this water, my heart was racing and I realized I wasn’t really breathing. I stopped drinking for a second so I could catch my breath. But I was desperate. I drank more water.

In that moment, I wanted water more than I wanted breath. Now, I know we need to breathe, but all I could think about was quenching that thirst.

Then I thought, Do I thirst after God like that?

We can talk about how thirsty we are all we want, but it comes down to what we do.

We say we’re thirsty, but we don’t turn to Him. We go to magazines and horoscopes and our Facebook News Feed before EVER going to God.

We say we’re thirsty, but haven’t read the Word in days (or longer).

We say we’re thirsty, but we fill our minds and hearts with the most disgusting things and then expect God’s spirit to dwell in us?

Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me like we’re not as thirsty as we say we are. Because if we really were thirsty, we would go straight to the Source, right to the Living water. We wouldn’t reach for the soda or a piece of gum, which will only satisfy for a little while. If we were really thirsty, we’d want Him more than anything else.

That’s what I think about when I read about the three boys and that fiery furnace. They were brave and inspiring and cared more about thirsting after God than their very lives. Daniel 3:16-18 says:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied,
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will NEVER serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Wow. No matter how many times I read that, I just can’t help but be amazed. They were willing to lose their very lives. They wanted Him more than they wanted breath.

And we want a seat at the cool table, a raise, a relationship- all more than we want God?

I think it may be time for us to wake up and accept the fact that Jesus may ask us to give up the very thing that we hold closest to us.

Can you imagine what would happen if we put down our soda glasses and really thirsted after God?

The woman at the well left her jar (John 4:28), the one that only satisfies for a little while, and drank that living water that Jesus was always talking about.  And because of her testimony, many came to know Christ (John 4:39).

I believe the same thing would happen today. If we’d thirst after Him, we’d be filled to overflowing. Living water would spill out and into those around us, MANY coming to know Christ through our testimony.

How can you get more thirsty for God's calling in your life? Comment Here I would love to hear from you.