Why Am I So Thirsty?

I was sitting here thinking about how thirsty I am and it brought back several memories.  Remember the "old school" football coaches that thought drinking water would cause you to get sick.  We would go the whole practice with only one water break.  If things were not going well we would lose that one break.

My first real job was working on a vegetable farm.  We would pick tomatoes, cabbage, peppers or cucumbers all day.  The owner did not like us to stop and get a drink so he would put the water jug at the end of a very long row.  We could drink only after we finished picking that row.

When we go on our mission trips it is important  to only drink water that is safe.  Sometimes we must wait until we can buy some bottled water or until we take the time to boil water (Guyana).  If you start thinking about how thirsty you are it seems like you're going to die before you get a good drink of cool clear water.

John 4:13 says, "Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst". Of course Jesus is talking about spiritual water.

As a young boy I thirsted for spiritual water.  When I wanted to be baptized I read every scripture that spoke about baptism.  I asked what seemed like a hundred questions.  I simply wanted to know everything the Bible had to say about salvation.

I remember reading about David & Goliath, Moses, Noah, Elijah & Elisha, Esther, Ruth, The Judges, Paul, Peter and Cornelius.  I wanted to know about these Bible heroes.

We need to thirst for fellowship with our brothers and sisters.  What a joy it is to see hugs and smiles of familiarity among the body.  It is good to long for worship.

May we always thirst for opportunity to serve our Lord.

May we drink from the fountain of shared sorrow and joy.

May we thirst for the sharing of new birth from the grace of baptism.

As I have grown older, I have a thirst for knowledge that would enable me to be a blessing to those who are hurting.  I thirst for answers that might save a marriage or stop abuse.  Knowledge that would comfort a broken hearted parent or to console a bereaved wife.  Knowledge that could heal a damaged soul.  I thirst for answers that would allow others to see Jesus as a means to heal a troubled spirit.  I thirst for ways to convince those buried in shame that grace will cover the sin that has caused sorrow.

After all these years, I still thirst.

Brother Dave