SelahV Today by hariette petersen

Refreshed and Overjoyed

Ever been so thirsty you could hardly stand it until you got a drink of water?  Then you finally get to drink that cold water and you drink and drink and drink till you cannot hold another drop?  I have.  I don't want to bend over those water fountains either.  I want a big old glass or bottle of ice-cold water.

Oddly, with me, the more water I drink, the more I want till my parched tongue is no longer parched.

It reminds me of the Living Water of Jesus.  I can't get enough of Him. He is the refreshment for my soul.  The joy of my mind and heart.

Lately, Jesus has been showing me more and more just how much He wants to be my everything.  It's only after I've wandered off and placed everything ahead of Him that I suddenly realize, whoa!  where am I?  what am I doing in this conversation?  how'd I get to this place of discontent and disgruntled reasoning?  how'd I let this or that disturb my peace?  how'd I dwell on this negative so long that I failed to see a single positive? how'd I let my mind get so far away from Him? 

I'm in the wilderness.  I wandered off on my own and thought I was where I ought to be...ministering where I need to be... only to discover I'd fallen into a pit and got carried away into Egypt.  And I am thirsty.  And I am hungry.

When I get really thirsty, soft drinks, juice, coffee, and ice tea do not quench my thirst.  I need water.  Likewise, music, friends, conversations, books, blogs, a nd pictures on Pinterest do nothing to fill the void I have when I've neglected my relationship with my Savior.  He is the Living Water I need.  He and He alone.  The fountain that overflows.  He is the food I crave.  He said himself:

 "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

Back to the basics.  Back to devouring His Word for His words.  I am thirsty and I am hungry and I shall be filled.  So refreshed.  So full of joy.  Gosh I love Jesus. His grace is so sufficient. selahV

It Is Worth the Leap

Seriously!

What is our problem?

We have every reason to shout!

We have it all!

Love, peace, hope, joy, goodness, grace, salvation, forgiveness, righteousness, eternal life.

What else do we need?

Yet, all too often we sit silent in the face of praise.  We yawn when worship runs longer than an hour.  We nod off when the preacher begins to share God's Word.  We walk about in the world like we are dead rather than alive in Christ.  What in the world is wrong with us?  Do we buy into Satan's lies?

Perhaps.

But I think there's a simple reason we are so complacent and filled with apathy.  Our focus is on us.  Ourselves.  We worry about the economy. We fret over what name we are affiliated with.  We listen to strife and divisions.  We battle the flesh and ignore the real enemy:  "the prince of this world".  The powers of evil and darkness in realms beyond our sight.  We swat gnats and swallow camels then choke to death on our own efforts and words.

We stare at the temporary lives we have and covet the life we don't have.  We dwell on the things we find uncomfortable and strive for what makes us "feel" good.  We war with our own rather than stand guard over the walls we've conquered together.  We battle with those in our midst and give our enemies weapons to destroy us.

We, my friends, are our own worst enemy, to whom we are daily-devoted.

We wallow in past mistakes.  We won't let go of yesterday's failures.  We stare in awe at the giants in our lives and think we are small, alone, without help. We sit on the edge of the Red Sea and camp out while waiting for the Egyptian pharoah and his soldiers to destroy us.  Rather than remember what God has accomplished for those called by His name, we fall down in fear.

We all need to go back to the altar of God and stay awhile.  We need to sit by the calm waters which swallowed our enemies and give thanks.  Thanks that we are not alone in our struggles. Thanks that we have a Savior who has overcome the world.  Thanks that we have another day to honor His name in all we do and say--with family, friends, and strangers.

We need to bow in humble adoration to our God, our strength, our Redeemer.  Then we need to get up and kick our behinds as we leap for joy and sing praises to the Most High God.  selahV

"The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song." Psalm 28:7

Another devotional:  Are you LEAPING to Conclusions?