Part 3

Satifying our thirsts in Christ

We all have legitimate thirsts, desires, passions. We have longings that seek fulfillment. It is no mystery where these longings and passions originate. They are placed there by God, Himself, (Jer. 29:11). And He is the means by which these longings and desires are to be fulfilled. He is our source. He is the fountain of living water. It cannot be made more clear. What is unclear, (but not really), is why we cannot see this to be so? Unfortunately, the desire to sin and rebel is in our bones and genes—our flesh. This is why the Holy Spirit is so needed-not only reside within us but to fill us with His control and have influence so that we might live in a pleasing fashion before God. To be spirit-filled or spiritual is life indeed. In this state our "thirsts" will be satisfied.

Let us refer to scripture to have a better understanding of this vital fact. We have already learned in Jer. 2:13 that God is the fountain of living water. God says in Isaiah 55:1.

In Isaiah, God sums up and puts in concise language what we have been talking about in this study. This verse is a great interpretive scripture to Jer. 2:13. In this verse, again, we see the stark contrast between satisfaction at no cost versus spending of wages for that which is not true bread and that which does not satisfy. In our previous verse, we saw the same thing. There, satisfaction was received from a free, clear running stream versus drinking from a hand-made cistern yet cracked.

God is saying He desires our fulfillment and satisfaction. In fact, He has already provided for it and guarantees it- at no cost to you or I. All that is required from us is our obedience to His Word. Such is the definition for "love for God", 1 John 5:3. And HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT BURDENSOME. "Oh, but they are," say the average man. "I can't possibly keep the commandments. They are too hard." Well, the spiritual man is not an average man, but a NEW creature in Christ Jesus. He is not burdened and weighed down by God's commandments, but in fact, he fulfills the law. This is done not through his own strength, but through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It is He, God the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live obediently before God. But our focus must be on Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Fulfillment, satisfaction and delight in abundance is OURS. We have God's Word on that. Yet, we so often grumble and complain of our state. This is the classic case of mistrust in God's Word. Tough times are test times. God tests our faithfulness. It is a legitimate action on God's part. But when we grumble, complain and bicker, we tip our hand and signal to Satan that we are unhappy with God and His handling of our situation. Nothing pleases Satan more than a grumbling Christian. What an opportunity for him to sell us his goods. But always at a high and horrible cost.

All that the Israelites went through in the wilderness was, in part, for our edification. God promised them a land of milk and honey. It was theirs for the taking. All that separated them from their new home after their deliverance was a ten day trip, albeit through dry, difficult, and dangerous territory. But they had suffered for 400 years as a people under the harsh hand of the Pharoah's in Egypt. They were a strong people. But ten days of freedom would be too much for them. They immediately started grumbling about water and food and their living conditions. Their trust in God quickly evaporated.

Hadn't they remembered the great miracles He showed to the Egyptians of God's power when Pharoah refused to let them go? Hadn't they remembered God opening up the Red Sea to provide escape from Pharoah's army? Could not they trust God for food and water? How quickly they forgot. How quickly we forget!

All that God did for them, God will do for us, Dt. 7:17-19. God has not changed, nor will He ever. Unfortunately, it seems our rebelliousness and mindlessness does not change with us, either. If the truth be told, maybe 10 percent of all born again Christians live in the Sphere of Faith, while the rest reside in the Sphere of Carnality. Surely, pride is a great evil. One that we must resist. We must submit to Christ and be empowered to live a pleasing life before God. And in so doing, we prepare ourselves to receive the abundance He promises.

Remember, a promise is for a future time. It is not to be immediate, as we so often want. Time generally passes between a promise and its fulfillment. Such was the case with Joseph. God promised him he would be a great ruler, even rule over his own family. But until this promise was fulfilled, Joseph would be greatly tested and tried.