Wednesday’s Word-Edition 75
December 14, 2011 | My Jottings
This week in our Community Bible Study commentary, we learned about the famine that comes to the soul that chooses to turn away from God’s Word and to willfully ignore or disobey Him.
We were reminded that God’s great desire is to give us refreshment and renewal, and to restore us to Himself and to others. The commentary writer quoted Max Lucado and I would like to share a small portion of it here:
“Deprive your soul of spiritual water, and your soul will tell you. Dehydrated hearts send desperate messages. Snarling tempers. Waves of worry. Growling mastodons of guilt and fear. You think God wants you to live with these? Hopelessness. Sleeplessness. Loneliness. Resentment. Irritability. Insecurity. These are warnings. Symptoms of a dryness deep within.”
(from Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch — Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2004)
We were exhorted in our CBS studies today that if we turn to Jesus, the Living Water, He can quench the thirst of our souls.
One drink doesn’t do it, though. I get thirsty often. My heart can dry out in a day or two.
I think I need to turn to Jesus many times a day…..
It is the same for me, Julie. I need His Word several times a day to keep my heart open and my mind attuned to hope. I feel blessed that I now have more time, than when I was working, to read and meditate on Him. I do think my mood and my attitudes are being shaped in this practice. I wish I could communicate this to those around me, with whom I share my life, as something they obviously need, without seeming preachy.
Thanks, as usual, for your very good words!
Hi Roberta….what you shared here is exactly what I feel for myself, with the exception that I’m not retired yet. 🙂 I appreciate your wisdom and presence here on the blog!
I blogged about something similar a while back because we live in the 2nd driest continent in the world [Antarctica is the driest in case you’re curious;P] & the thing is just drinking is not enough. It only feeds the surface [& that dries up very quickly out here, in a matter of moments!]. Out here all our plants have a long tap root that they send deep into the sub~soil after water so they can grow even in very arid places. So it should be with us. Yes, we need the surface waters but we should have a deep tap~root into the word so that we are securely anchored even in arid times because the word is a living thing throughout our being. Brother Lawrence calls it *practising the presence of God*.
I only mention it because many of us have seasons of major busyness when we don’t or can’t rest in HIm as often as we’d like yet HIs spirit will drag up from the past & bring to mind what we have learnt previously so that we may continue to be fed. It’s early here. Not sure I’m even making sense but blessings on your day ~ or evening as the case may be! 😀
I loved Brother Lawrence’s book, Ganeida, and feel I’m a novice at this. But I am very grateful that years of Bible study have engraved some passages of the Word on my heart, and what you’ve shared is so true. Right when it’s needed, there it is, even when no printed Bible is in sight. Very wise word, Ganeida….thank you.