THIRSTING FOR GOD

“As the deer
longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for God, the living God.”
Psalm 42:1-2 NLT
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I grew up on a farm in South Dakota and often worked out in the fields under a scorching summer sun. I can remember the hot dry winds of the “dirty thirties,” and how thirsty a person would get when the water jug was empty long before quitting time.

David spent a lot of time out in the open fields as a boy taking care of his father’s sheep and he knew what it meant to be thirsty. As an adult, he spent a lot of time running from his enemies, hiding in hot rocky barren places. He was always searching for water. Finding water, I can imagine him seeing a thirsty deer waiting near by. As he observed the deer, he may have thought, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God.”

God has made us to thirst after him. Sometimes God sovereignly moves in our life, causing us to hunger and thirst for a closer walk with him. Other times we are drawn to know him better as he allows us to go through trying times which cause us to become keenly aware of how much we need him. Still other times the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and coldness of heart, and if we respond with true repentance, we realize a fresh thirst for God. But most commonly our hunger and thirst for more of God flows from an open hearted study of his word, and a prayer life rich with gratitude and praise.

Thirst for You
CeCe Winans

We thirst for You
We search for You
In a dry and barren land
W're longing for Your hand
To guide us to
A place where You
Can cleanse us with Your rain...
Baptize us once again
We thirst for You

Oh Lord we are waiting
Let Your river flow
Come flood our hearts again
Quench our thirsty souls

We thirst for You

Turn up your sound and listen to > AS THE DEER

A WORLD FILLED WITH GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

“We are looking forward to
the new heavens and new earth
he has promised,
a world filled with God’s righteousness.”
2 Peter 3:13 NLT
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God created us in his own image so we could have perfect fellowship with him which would never end! He gave Adam just one restriction – not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because that would bring death into the world. Adam and Eve ate, and death came! With death came every other evil. It got so bad that God had to wipe out the human race with the flood - destroying everyone except Noah, his family and the animals that miraculously came into the ark.

God started all over again with Noah and his family. But the consequence of Adam’s sin still brought death. Sin continued to rule in the hearts of people resulting in all sorts of corruption, violence and wars. God raised up prophets who foretold the coming of the messiah who would save repentant believers from their sin.

Two thousand years ago that messiah came in the person of Jesus, the sinless son of God, who died and rose again for our salvation. Though there are more believers in the world today than ever before, the vast majority of the world’s population does not believe in him. Wickedness is constantly increasing - lawlessness, immorality, violence, terrorism and wars are rampant around the world. Is God’s judgment going to fall again? Scoffers mock at the thought of another worldwide judgment.

God gave the rainbow as a sign that he would not destroy the world again with a flood. But Peter writes that “the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed." Like believers in Noah’s day were kept safe in the ark, so we as the believers of the end times will be kept safe in Christ no matter what we may have to suffer for our faith.

Peter continues: We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

This has been God’s plan from the beginning! Some day it’s going to literally come to pass!!!

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

“God saved you
by his grace when you believed.
And you can’t take credit for this;
it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward
for the good things we have done,
so none of us can boast about it.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
~~~~~

Some people, for whatever reason, have concluded that there is no life after death. They believe when they die it’s all over – they cease to exist. Those who believe in reincarnation think they once lived as someone else, and when they die they expect to come back again as someone else – hopefully someone better. Ideas like these come from the father of lies.

The Scriptures clearly teach that we are created in the image of God, and like God the spiritual part of us exists forever – either in heaven or in hell. In Matthew 25:31-33 Jesus, teaching about the final judgment says, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.” Then in verse 46 equating the goats with the unrighteous and the sheep with the righteous he adds, “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” Jesus came to this world, died and rose again, so we could have the privilege of choosing between eternal punishment and eternal life. 1 John 5:11-13 says, “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” It’s not hard to see which is the best choice.

As clear as such scriptures are, there still are some Christians who can’t say with full assurance that they are going to heaven. They come up with a weak “I hope so.” Why is that? Here are two basic reasons. Not remembering a specific time when we accepted Christ. However, knowing that we are now trusting him as savior, is more important than remembering a time or place. The other common reason for the lack of assurance is thinking we have to be good enough to go to heaven. We can never be good enough!! “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Turn up your sound and click on > BLESSED ASSURANCE