Lent Devotional - Day 14
Read John 7:25-52.
Jesus despite being under the threat of death, continues to preach and to teach with such authority that even the temple guards who are sent to arrest him, return empty handed. This is the difference between living in obedience to God’s direction and living however I determine.
When we live according to our own thoughts and ways, circumstances and other people will impact the outcome and whether we are successful, however when we live in obedience to God’s leading and align ourselves to his thoughts and his ways, then circumstances and situations do not matter. Other people and their thoughts and actions have no relevance because God’s will will be done and he will move others so that you are blessed.
As Jesus invites us all to come and have the thirst of our souls quenched, you can take Jesus at his words and truly find out whether he is who says he is, or we can stand at a distance and study, question, and argue whether Jesus is the Son of God. From a distance we will never know for sure. Even too many Christians, keep Jesus at a safe distance and never truly experience the fullness of the joy and promises he has made to us.
We hedge our bets, and we believe him as far as we are comfortable. We believe in Jesus, but we want to stay in the boat, rather than stepping out and stand on the water with him. We prefer the Jesus who comes to us at our religious gatherings rather than joining him as he ministers to the crowd, and to the poor and needy.
But to truly experience Jesus, we have to obey him. He says explicitly, “Come to me.” So we must go to Jesus and when we go to him, we must go to him thirsty. Have you ever been so thirsty? There is a crazy desperation that takes over. He promises that when we go to Jesus thirsty, that he will satisfy our thirst through the Holy Spirit, so that the very fountain source of refreshing will be in us.
When the fountain source is in us, guess what? We can begin to go and quench other people’s thirst. This is the heritage of God’s people. Do you refresh others or do you leave people dry? Stop going to the world to medicate yourselves from your pain, but go to Jesus for complete healing. Go to Jesus thirsty and with crazy desperation and ask him to fill you with the Holy Spirit today.