Administrative Changes Leaders are responsible to God!

Administrative Changes

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Manoah's Wife

1 Samuel 8:6-7, “But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (KJV).
The people clamored for a king… a change of administrations. They thought a new system would bring about needed changes in their nation, but governments cannot solve problems of faith. The basic problem in Israel at that time was their disobedience to God… and that problem would continue under any new administration. Our nation needs a renewal of faith in God and a new commitment to being obedient to God’s laws.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 teaches that the king had to adhere to the Word of God. He had to make a copy of what God said for his personal use and read it daily. By doing this, he developed a healthy fear of the Lord. God’s command has not changed… This is still needed… What a challenge for new administrations. Today, candidates for political office often mock those who have a strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 16:18-22 teaches that one of the main responsibilities of the king (president) was to appoint good judges… judges who will treat the people fairly, who do not twist the law or show partiality and who will uphold justice. Today, good judges are bypassed because they refuse to follow political systems. Romans 13:1-3 reads, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil” (KJV).
If leaders are responsible to God… then the citizens are under obedience also. No leader should force its citizens to disobey God. Our first loyalty is always to God.
Pastor George Belobaba

Spurgeon's Daily Devotinal Jeremiah 32:17

"Ah Lord God, behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee."
Jeremiah 32:17

At the very time when the Chaldeans surrounded Jerusalem, and when the sword, famine and pestilence had desolated the land, Jeremiah was commanded by God to purchase a field, and have the deed of transfer legally sealed and witnessed. This was a strange purchase for a rational man to make. Prudence could not justify it, for it was buying with scarcely a probability that the person purchasing could ever enjoy the possession. But it was enough for Jeremiah that his God had bidden him, for well he knew that God will be justified of all His children. He reasoned thus: "Ah, Lord God! Thou canst make this plot of ground of use to me; Thou canst rid this land of these oppressors; Thou canst make me yet sit under my vine and my fig-tree in the heritage which I have bought; for Thou didst make the heavens and the earth, and there is nothing too hard for Thee." This gave a majesty to the early saints, that they dared to do at God's command things which carnal reason would condemn. Whether it be a Noah who is to build a ship on dry land, an Abraham who is to offer up his only son, or a Moses who is to despise the treasures of Egypt, or a Joshua who is to besiege Jericho seven days, using no weapons but the blasts of rams' horns, they all act upon God's command, contrary to the dictates of carnal reason; and the Lord gives them a rich reward as the result of their obedient faith. Would to God we had in the religion of these modern times a more potent infusion of this heroic faith in God. If we would venture more upon the naked promise of God, we should enter a world of wonders to which as yet we are strangers. Let Jeremiah's place of confidence be ours--nothing is too hard for the God that created the heavens and the earth.

Spurgeon's Devotional 1 cor 7:20 June 27 " Let Everfy man abide in the same calling wherein he was called."

"Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called."
1 Corinthians 7:20

Some persons have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming ministers, missionaries, or Bible women. Alas! how many would be shut out from any opportunity of magnifying the Most High if this were the case. Beloved, it is not office, it is earnestness; it is not position, it is grace which will enable us to glorify God. God is most surely glorified in that cobbler's stall, where the godly worker, as he plies the awl, sings of the Saviour's love, ay, glorified far more than in many a prebendal stall where official religiousness performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified by the poor unlearned carter as he drives his horse, and blesses his God, or speaks to his fellow labourer by the roadside, as much as by the popular divine who, throughout the country, like Boanerges, is thundering out the gospel. God is glorified by our serving Him in our proper vocations. Take care, dear reader, that you do not forsake the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonour your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labour connected either with most daring deeds of faith, or with persons whose lives have been illustrious for holiness. Therefore be not discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position, or your work, abide in that, unless you are quite sure that he calls you to something else. Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another He will show it you. This evening lay aside vexatious ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

Spurgeon's Daily Devotional: Isaiah 14:10 "Art thou become like unto us?"

"Art thou become like unto us?"
Isaiah 14:10

What must be the apostate professor's doom when his naked soul appears before God? How will he bear that voice, "Depart, ye cursed; thou hast rejected me, and I reject thee; thou hast played the harlot, and departed from Me: I also have banished thee for ever from my presence, and will not have mercy upon thee." What will be this wretch's shame at the last great day when, before assembled multitudes, the apostate shall be unmasked? See the profane, and sinners who never professed religion, lifting themselves up from their beds of fire to point at him. "There he is," says one, "will he preach the gospel in hell?" "There he is," says another, "he rebuked me for cursing, and was a hypocrite himself!" "Aha!" says another, "here comes a psalm-singing Methodist--one who was always at his meeting; he is the man who boasted of his being sure of everlasting life; and here he is!" No greater eagerness will ever be seen among Satanic tormentors, than in that day when devils drag the hypocrite's soul down to perdition. Bunyan pictures this with massive but awful grandeur of poetry when he speaks of the back-way to hell. Seven devils bound the wretch with nine cords, and dragged him from the road to heaven, in which he had professed to walk, and thrust him through the back-door into hell. Mind that back-way to hell, professors! "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." Look well to your state; see whether you be in Christ or not. It is the easiest thing in the world to give a lenient verdict when oneself is to be tried; but O, be just and true here. Be just to all, but be rigorous to yourself. Remember if it be not a rock on which you build, when the house shall fall, great will be the fall of it. O may the Lord give you sincerity, constancy, and firmness; and in no day, however evil, may you be led to turn aside.

Tumultuous Times Are Coming. Pray for our Nation

June 26, 2012. You can be sure that tumultuous times are coming. Clouds are gathering for the forecasted storms. The climatic disturbances are signs to take cover in the Lord. This cover is the prayer commitment you are making. Your nation will be humbled to its knees because of unrighteousness. One person can turn the tide for their nation in prayer. There will be many attempts at salvation through the wit and wonder of man, but none of that will work. I say unto you, gather those who are willing and cry out to Me from your heart of hearts. Pray in the Spirit, making daily opportunity for it. In this way, you can intercede night and day worldwide. All your hope is in Me.

Isaiah 26:2-4 (NASB) "Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, the one that remains faithful. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock." 

This is a word from God from a person I know who hears from God. I have in the past received this same word from the Lord as has others. We all should pay heed to this word maybe we can save our nation or you can save your nation.

Daily Devotional Genesis 8:9 "The Dove found on rest of the sole of her foot"

"The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot."
Genesis 8:9

Reader, can you find rest apart from the ark, Christ Jesus? Then be assured that your religion is vain. Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then woe unto you. If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false. If your soul can stretch herself at rest, and find the bed long enough, and the coverlet broad enough to cover her in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite, and far enough from any right thoughts of Christ or perception of His preciousness. But if, on the other hand, you feel that if you could indulge in sin without punishment, yet it would be a punishment of itself; and that if you could have the whole world, and abide in it for ever, it would be quite enough misery not to be parted from it; for your God--your God--is what your soul craves after; then be of good courage, thou art a child of God. With all thy sins and imperfections, take this to thy comfort: if thy soul has no rest in sin, thou are not as the sinner is! If thou art still crying after and craving after something better, Christ has not forgotten thee, for thou hast not quite forgotten Him. The believer cannot do without his Lord; words are inadequate to express his thoughts of Him. We cannot live on the sands of the wilderness, we want the manna which drops from on high; our skin bottles of creature confidence cannot yield us a drop of moisture, but we drink of the rock which follows us, and that rock is Christ. When you feed on Him your soul can sing, "He hath satisfied my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's," but if you have Him not, your bursting wine vat and well-filled barn can give you no sort of satisfaction: rather lament over them in the words of wisdom, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!"

Daily Devotional Romans 8:23 Waiting for the aboption

"Waiting for the adoption."
Romans 8:23

Even in this world saints are God's children, but men cannot discover them to be so, except by certain moral characteristics. The adoption is not manifested, the children are not yet openly declared. Among the Romans a man might adopt a child, and keep it private for a long time: but there was a second adoption in public; when the child was brought before the constituted authorities its former garments were taken off, and the father who took it to be his child gave it raiment suitable to its new condition of life. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be." We are not yet arrayed in the apparel which befits the royal family of heaven; we are wearing in this flesh and blood just what we wore as the sons of Adam; but we know that "when He shall appear" who is the "first-born among many brethren," we shall be like Him, we shall see Him as He is. Cannot you imagine that a child taken from the lowest ranks of society, and adopted by a Roman senator, would say to himself, "I long for the day when I shall be publicly adopted. Then I shall leave off these plebeian garments, and be robed as becomes my senatorial rank"? Happy in what he has received, for that very reason he groans to get the fulness of what is promised him. So it is with us today. We are waiting till we shall put on our proper garments, and shall be manifested as the children of God. We are young nobles, and have not yet worn our coronets. We are young brides, and the marriage day is not yet come, and by the love our Spouse bears us, we are led to long and sigh for the bridal morning. Our very happiness makes us groan after more; our joy, like a swollen spring, longs to well up like an Iceland geyser, leaping to the skies, and it heaves and groans within our spirit for want of space and room by which to manifest itself to men.

Spurgeon's Daily Devotional Amos 9:9

"For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth."
Amos 9:9

Every sifting comes by divine command and permission. Satan must ask leave before he can lay a finger upon Job. Nay, more, in some sense our siftings are directly the work of heaven, for the text says, "I will sift the house of Israel." Satan, like a drudge, may hold the sieve, hoping to destroy the corn; but the overruling hand of the Master is accomplishing the purity of the grain by the very process which the enemy intended to be destructive. Precious, but much sifted corn of the Lord's floor, be comforted by the blessed fact that the Lord directeth both flail and sieve to His own glory, and to thine eternal profit.

The Lord Jesus will surely use the fan which is in His hand, and will divide the precious from the vile. All are not Israel that are of Israel; the heap on the barn floor is not clean provender, and hence the winnowing process must be performed. In the sieve true weight alone has power. Husks and chaff being devoid of substance must fly before the wind, and only solid corn will remain.

Observe the complete safety of the Lord's wheat; even the least grain has a promise of preservation. God Himself sifts, and therefore it is stern and terrible work; He sifts them in all places, "among all nations"; He sifts them in the most effectual manner, "like as corn is sifted in a sieve"; and yet for all this, not the smallest, lightest, or most shrivelled grain, is permitted to fall to the ground. Every individual believer is precious in the sight of the Lord, a shepherd would not lose one sheep, nor a jeweller one diamond, nor a mother one child, nor a man one limb of his body, nor will the Lord lose one of His redeemed people. However little we may be, if we are the Lord's, we may rejoice that we are preserved in Christ Jesus.

Patience: Do We Have The Lord’s patience? Is Patience Love? June 20, 2012

Patience: Do We Have The Lord’s patience? Is Patience Love?

Patience can be defined as: longsuffering; endurance; forbearance; characterized by this divine virtue or spiritual fruit.

All too often we are impatience; we do not want to wait on anything; the way the society is structured now we are taught that we need to have it now (instantly). We demonstrate impatience to the Lord all the time; if a prayer is not answered right away we complain to the Lord about it and in many cases we are the same way with our family or any other problems that we want an answer too or a problem resolved.

No longer in our schools; other centers of learning or in many families are we taught the spiritual virtues that we all need and long for. With the breakup of the family unit that started in the 60’s ( the free love movement, hippies and so on); encouraged by the media and the government trying to take the place of the family unit along with the government welfare programs is when we started to loose many of our spiritual virtues ( that is another lesson in itself).

Much of the blame can be put on our old enemy Satan; but we ourselves and the church must take some of the blame too. As we know the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy; but how much of the blame is ours and the church of today? Are we and the church fighting back hard enough or are we like the Church in Laodicea in Revelation 3: 15-16 NLT. In it the Lord says; “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Some of these questions you will have to answer for yourself for you know the answer in your community; but as a whole is the church doing enough; are we a unified church family? Sadly the answer to the last question is no; we are not doing enough and we are not a unified church. There is too much bickering, infighting and differing theologies that abound in the church, too much of man’s theology and not enough of the true Gospel teaching of God’s word.

What does the gospel teach us about patience? In Psalm 75:2 it states; “God says, “At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked.” This verse is teaching us to be patience with God. In other words God is saying that He knows what is best for us and that He will do it at a time and place of His choosing.

In Proverbs 25:15 it says; “Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can crush strong opposition.”  This verse is teaching us that patience is valuable. What else does this mean to us? In Matthew Henry’s Commentary it is telling us that there are two things recommended in dealing with others, 1.Patience, to bear a present heat without being put into a heat by it, and to wait for a fit opportunity to offer our reasons and to give persons time to consider them. By this means even a prince may be persuaded. 2. Mildness, to speak without passion or provocation: A soft tongue breaks the bone; it mollifies the roughest spirits and overcomes those that are most morose, like lighting, which they say, has sometimes broken the bone, and yet not pierced the flesh.

Patience is better than pride. It tells us this in Ecclesiastes 7:8 the whole verse states; “Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.” The Amplified Version states it this way; “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning of it. And the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” In Matthew Henry’s Commentary it tells us: Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. Better was the end of Moses’s treaty with Pharaoh, that proud oppressor, when Israel was bought forth with triumph, than the beginning of it, when the tail of bricks was doubled, and everything looked discouraging.

If we would not be driven mad by oppression, we must be clothed with humility; for the proud in spirit are those that grow outrageous when they are hardly bested. We must put on patience, bearing patience, to submit to the will of God in the affliction, and waiting patience to expect the issue in God’s due time. We must govern our passion with wisdom and grace.

Patience demonstrates love. It tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud (v5) or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.

Patience is evidence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives (Galatians 5:22). We know this because in verse 22 it tells us; “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (v23) gentleness, and self-control. Here there is not conflict with the law.”

Be patient with each other (Ephesians 4:2). In this verse it tells us; “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” In the NKJV it states it this way; “With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, (v3) endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

In closing I will ask a question: Is patience love, is it self-control, is it submitting to the will of God, does patience have anything to do with humility? We will look one last time at Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Eph. 4:2 it states; “Exhortation to mutual love. Love is the law of Christ’s kingdom, the lesson of his school, the livery of his family. The means of unity: Lowliness and meekness, long-suffering, and forbearing one another in love.” By lowliness we are to understand humility opposed to pride, by meekness, that excellent disposition of soul which makes men unwilling to provoke others, and not be easily provoked. Long-suffering implies a patient bearing of injures, without seeking revenge. Forbearing one another in love. The best Christians have need to make the best one of another, to provoke one another’s graces and not their passions. We find much in ourselves which is hard to forgive ourselves; and therefore we must not think it much if we find in others which we thank hard to forgive them, and yet we must forgive them. Now without these things unity cannot be preserved. The first step towards unity is humility. Pride and passion break the peace, and make all the mischief. Humility and meekness restore the peace. The more lowly-mindedness the more like-mindedness.

The correct answer to the question I asked above is yes to all and it is much more than that as we can see by looking at the teaching as a whole. Being patient is so much more than most of us ever thought it could be. Who would have thought that being patient would show love or evidence of the Holy Spirit working within us? We all need to strive to be more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we need to imitate Him. We need to love like Him and have patience like Him. We need to understand what patience really is and my hope is that this will help you as it has helped me to be more patience and to understand and become closer to our Lord and Savior.

John Dahlhauser Ministries Touching The World With His Word: Thy Redeemer: Devotional; Isaiah 54.5

John Dahlhauser Ministries Touching The World With His Word: Thy Redeemer: Devotional; Isaiah 54.5

Thy Redeemer: Devotional; Isaiah 54.5

"Thy Redeemer."
Isaiah 54:5

Jesus, the Redeemer, is altogether ours and ours for ever. All the offices of Christ are held on our behalf. He is king for us, priest for us, and prophet for us. Whenever we read a new title of the Redeemer, let us appropriate Him as ours under that name as much as under any other. The shepherd's staff, the father's rod, the captain's sword, the priest's mitre, the prince's sceptre, the prophet's mantle, all are ours. Jesus hath no dignity which He will not employ for our exaltation, and no prerogative which He will not exercise for our defence. His fulness of Godhead is our unfailing, inexhaustible treasure-house.

His manhood also, which he took upon him for us, is ours in all its perfection. To us our gracious Lord communicates the spotless virtue of a stainless character; to us he gives the meritorious efficacy of a devoted life; on us he bestows the reward procured by obedient submission and incessant service. He makes the unsullied garment of his life our covering beauty; the glittering virtues of his character our ornaments and jewels; and the superhuman meekness of his death our boast and glory. He bequeaths us his manger, from which to learn how God came down to man; and his Cross to teach us how man may go up to God. All His thoughts, emotions, actions, utterances, miracles, and intercessions, were for us. He trod the road of sorrow on our behalf, and hath made over to us as his heavenly legacy the full results of all the labours of his life. He is now as much ours as heretofore; and he blushes not to acknowledge himself "our Lord Jesus Christ," though he is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Christ everywhere and every way is our Christ, for ever and ever most richly to enjoy. O my soul, by the power of the Holy Spirit! call him this morning, "thy Redeemer."

Psalm 137: 5-6 Do forget Jerusalem, the Lord does not.

“If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue
cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider
Jerusalem my highest joy.” (Psalm 137: 5–6)

1 corinthians 4:15-16

1 Corinthians 4:15-16 (NKLV) "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me."

Be Nice to All

I am passing this on to all of you, this is somthing that we all should do and be aware of. God bless you all.

Recently I saw a bumper sticker on a car which stated "just be nice" all written in lower case letters. What a concept. Here in the United States anger has escalated astronomically on the streets we travel. Unfortunately, people are quick to justify their behavior saying their anger was spawned because someone invaded their private space.The Lord says, "Live a lifestyle of kindness. Show forth compassion in the same fashion which I have shown you. Exhibit a respectable, pleasant, and enjoyable way of life before all. Be a standard bearer of acceptable social and moral character. Be about being nice to each person you encounter. Let everyone see Me in you."

Colossians 3:12 (NLT) "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

Proverbs 11:14

Proverbs 11:14 (NASB) "Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory."

Proverbs 9:8-9

Proverbs 9:8-9 (MSG) "So don't waste your time on a scoffer; all you'll get for your pains is abuse. But if you correct those who care about life, that's different-they'll love you for it! Save your breath for the wise-they'll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know-they'll profit from it." 

1 Timothy 4:7-9

1 Timothy 4:7-9 (NKJV) "But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance."

Do You Have Living Water Within You?

Do you have living water within you?

In John 7: v 37-38 NLT it says; “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.”

To give some background on the above Scripture Jesus was at the Festival of Shelters and about midway through the Festival Jesus went to the temple and started to teach.

 Prior to this in chapter 6: v 53-58 Jesus was in Capernaum in the synagogue and had preached what many at that time considered a hard teaching on the bread of life and because of this teaching many of His disciples deserted Him.

 Many of the disciples and people who heard this teaching thought that when Jesus said in verse 53 “I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you cannot have eternal life within you,” that he really meant that you had to actually eat his flesh and drink His blood, of course that is not what he was teaching.

In Matthew Henry’s Commentary it teaches us that it is said to be given for the life of the world, that is, First, Instead of the life of the world, which was forfeited by sin, Christ gives his own flesh as a ransom. Secondly, in order to the life of the world, to purchase a general offer of eternal life to all the world (the entire world). So that the flesh and blood of the Son of Man denote Christ and Him crucified, and the redemption wrought out by Him. The promises of the covenant, and eternal life; these are called the flesh and blood of Christ. 1. Because they are purchased by the breaking of His body, and the shedding of His blood. 2. Because they are meat and drink to our souls.

 He was teaching all our human effort accomplishes nothing. We will not get eternal life from our works. It is the Spirit who gives eternal life (see v63) and the words that He spoke to them and we as born again believers are spirit and life. Many people still did not believe that He was the Messiah or came from our Father in Heaven as evidenced in chapter 7: v28-29 “Yes you know me, and you know where I come from. But I represent one you don’t know, and he is true. I know him because I have come from him, and he sent me to you.”

So what then is Jesus teaching us when He says’, “If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.” This is a gospel invitation to come to Christ, and a gospel promise of comfort and happiness in Him. When did He give this invitation: On the last day of the feast of tabernacles, that great day. According to Matthew Henry’s Commentary; many people (mostly likely thousands) were gathered together, and, if the invitation were given to many, it might be hoped that some would accept of it. The feast was over and the people were now returning to their homes, and He gave them this to carry away with them as His parting word. This means that we may not see them again in this world, and therefore, if we can say or do anything to help them get to heaven then now is the time. Christ made this offer on the last day of the feast. In other words He would try them once more, and if they would yet hear His voice, they shall live. “Behold now is the accepted time.”

How did Jesus give this invitation: Jesus stood and cried (He shouted it, He did everything He could to get their attention); Jesus did not want anyone to be lost, He loves us all, and if you can be saved, He wants to save you. In the NKJV it says it this way; “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

The invitation itself is very general: If any man thirst, whoever he may be, he is invited to Christ. It is also very gracious: “If any man thirst let him come to me and drink.”  If any man desires to be truly and eternally happy, let him apply himself to me.

                                     

Who is invited, all of us are invited and what does thirst imply? It can be understood as, [1] Of the indigence (a level of poverty) their cases; either as to their outward condition (let his poverty and afflictions draw him to Christ for that peace which the world can neither give nor take away), or as to their inward state: “If any man wants spiritual blessings, he may be supplied by Me.” Or [2] Of the inclination of their souls and their desires towards a spiritual happiness. If any man hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Christ is the fountain of the living waters. The promise is: Let him come and drink, he shall have that which will not only refresh, but, replenish. In v 38 “He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow”: here is what it means to come to Christ: It is to believe in Him as the scripture has said. We cannot make up a Christ according to our fancy, but believe in a Christ according to the true scripture, not as is today with so many made up and false gospels that is being taught out there such as chrislam (it is a mix of Islam and Christian), it is blasphemy (the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God: the act of claiming the attributes of deity.) There are other new age religions out their just as bad and many ministers are teaching and preaching this garbage. Stay away from it! If you walk into a church that is teaching false teachings run away from it as fast as you can lest you get caught up in it. The only true teaching is the one and only gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You want to be in the light not the darkness. Make sure that if you are buying a new bible that it is the tried and true gospel there are some publishers now who have long been publishing the true Gospel are now selling the false Gospels.

As I was saying: We cannot make up a Christ according to our fancy, but believe in a Christ according to the true scripture. See how thirsty souls that come to Christ shall be made to drink. Israel drink of the rock that followed them, but believers drink of a rock in them, Christ in them. Provision is made not only for their present satisfaction, but for their continual perpetual comfort. Living water, running water, which the Hebrew language calls living, because still in motion. The graces and comforts of the Spirit are compared to living (meaning running) water, Rivers of living water. The comfort flows in both plentifully and constantly as a river; strong as a stream to bear down the oppositions of doubts and fears. A holy heart will be seen in a holy life; the tree is known by its fruits, and the fountain by its streams. Do you have living water within you? If you have the Holy Spirit you have streams of living water within you. When Jesus was referring to living water He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But at that time the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.

Matthew 5:3

Matthew 5:3 (GW) "Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them."

1 Corinthains 2:11-12

1 Corinthians 2:11-12 (NLT) "No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us."

Psalm 3:3

Psalm 3:3 (NASB) "But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head."