What is spiritual thirst? Are we thirsty? How does the world respond to such thirst? How do the churches?
To be spiritually thirsty is to desire God and things of God as Christ did on the cross. Are we complacent and apathetic, or are we thirsty for God? When I look at the world and all that it has to offer, I see hardly any thirst for God. When I look at the churches I don't see much difference. Is the world squeezing us into their mold? I see the church sounding and looking like the world with actions to match. I see the churches compromising all over the place. Is it possible to hate what God hates without loving what God loves?
For Christians who claim Christ it should be natural to desire God and to hunger and thirst after him. If not, something is wrong. If not, why aren't we?
Isaiah wrote concerning this in 5:8,11,12:
"Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land. Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. They have harps and lyres at their banquets, tambourines and flutes and wine but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands."
Woe is not a good thing...let me tell ya. Isaiah is writing here about a nation cared for by God and their turning away from Him. Why? They were not thirsty. They were filled with what the world has to offer. They were land hungry building up material wealth (v8) pleasure seekers (v11) partying it up until all hours of the night and early morning without regard to God and his creation (v12).
What makes us any different? We are now living in a world of affluence unlike any other time especially in this country. We get up early to play. How early is church? We get up to go to sports events, fairs, shopping, the beach. How early is church? We go up the mountain early to ski but don't even notice or give credit to the one that placed the mountain there for us. How early is church? It's funny that we'll stay overnight in line to get the latest concert tickets but can't get up early for church. What time is it?
If you look at the beginning of Isaiah 5 you'll see that God did all the work in planting the vinyard, a symbol for Israel. He fenced it, (put a hedge around them) he took out the stones,(the enemies) he planted it with the best vine and built a tower (protection) in the midst of it. He even made a winepress so it should bring forth choice grapes but all that came from this was wild grapes. What this is saying is that God had given them every advantage but they yielded only evil fruit.
I see the same here in our country. Amos warned about the upcoming time when he said this in v11:
"Behold the days come says 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."
God desires our corporate worship. He desires our singing, praising and lifting Him up in the company of others. As a society we have lost our focus, our desire. In many organizations today it's all about entertainment, not worship. The word is not really preached in many of the churches today. This is a reflection of our desire; our thirst for God. I believe the famine is near. As a nation we have abandoned worship of God. Oh, we have our excuses.
"I can worship God skiing down the slopes." "Running is my way of worship."
Is that what we're really doing? When we ski down the slopes are we praising and worshipping God? Really?
Does God care? We only need to look up the word "worship" and how it's used all thru scripture to know he most certainly does care. How casual are we about our worship? Our desire? What is drawing us away? Work? Athletics? Recreation? How many know there will be a day when ALL will worship God? Why wait until the day of judgment? It says in Revelation 14:6-7 and 15:4:
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters."
"Who shall not fear you O Lord and glorify your name? For you only are holy for all nations shall come and worship before you for your judgments are made manifest."
Also important to Him is our private worship. Jesus said himself:
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." Matt 5:6
"Have you not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was hungry and they which were with him;"...... Luke 6:3.
What? He expects us to be reading? Will he say to us.........."what do you mean you haven't read the word I left you?"
Paul said this regarding his epistle in 1 Thess 5:27: "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren."
This was a command. An expectation. It is expected we will take up the word and read it. When we do, we will recognize our thirst that has been overcome by the master deceiver as he attempts to disguise our hunger and thirst with material things and the many activities he throws our way to keep us distracted. He doesn't desire us in the word. He keeps us from it by obscuring our way.
We don't thirst as we should because we have a low view of God. Someday in the end all will worship God. We will all acknowledge God exists but until then we don't have him in his righful place. God is all powerful, immense, great and mighty and until we grasp that we will continue to have a low view of him and all that he is.
Those who say His word is nothing but falible writings from fallible men have no idea they are helping in the spreading of lies from the pit of hell. If we can take a pencil and write down our thoughts, don't you think God can take man to write down his? Satan is going to do all he can to keep us from knowing God and His word. Knowing who God really is does affect our worship. Satan desires the worship meant only for God. Read Isaiah 14 sometime for the details. Notice the "I" disease mentioned there.
How do we become thirsty for God? There are things we can do.
1. Conviction that only comes from God. Pray for it.
2. Repent for not being thirsty.
3. Seek Him
"If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believes on me as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Jesus
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely." Jesus
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev 22:17
That's it in a nutshell. Next week it'll be "It is finished." Right now, I've got to get a drink. I'm really thirsty.