Thirst...

Thirst is one of nature’s most powerful sensations. Without it, we would die within days. Being the human body is composed mostly of water, some sixty five percent, it becomes essential that the body is reminded to replenish the fluids which are lost naturally by other means. Without this constant triggering of thirst and the replenishing of essential fluids and nutrients, as humans we would simply cease to function. Thirst serves as that involuntary impulse, indispensable to our very survival.  Interestingly enough, Scripture places thirsts in a similar context. Spiritually speaking, thirsts is that desire to be replenished and refreshed by the Holy Spirit, by the Word, and by time in private communion with the Lord. As with the natural desire for thirst, the spiritual desire to thirst must have a source, and that source is the new life that has been created within us, as we are born again of the Spirit. This becomes essential to understanding whether or not we are in Christ. If we are in Christ, that life newly created, will thirst just as our natural body’s thirsts, it is the sign that a new life actually exists. If we can exists without a thirsts for the things of God, it is not because somehow we can, it is because we are dead…dead spiritually, dead eternally. When Christ is placed in a life only by convenience, when prayer, devotion, and faithfulness, is an option you op in, or out for, it is a sign that no thirst exists, and both physically and spiritually, without thirst, everything is either dead or dying. Your thirsts for God is the key indicator of whether a life created by Him exists within you. It is essential that we come to understand that the lack of a genuine thirsts for the Lord, and all that implies, is a sign we are either dead or dying spiritually!

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

8/4/2016

Mastering Religion or Consumed With Christ

It is worth considering the merit of distinguishing whether or not we are mastering our religion or becoming wholly consumed with Christ. Contrary to reason, these are not necessarily inclusive. Religion finds it satisfaction in do’s and don’ts, whereas being wholly consumed with Christ finds its satisfaction in the glory and wonder which is His person. It is also true that following ones religion is easier than following Christ. For religion can be reduced to simply times of day and acts of piety, whereas following Christ results in the transformation of our very nature and the heart which drives every impulse of our being. The difference between believing in Christ and following Christ, is a gulf that hardly can be measured. True faith is always focused on the person of Christ, it is consumed with the knowledge of everything He is, and it is the inspiration we sense when we consider all He is, that drives us to be all we can become!

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

8/2/16