Not Too Thirsty

Thirsty for Christ. What does that phrase mean to you?

I’ll tell you what it means to me – hungering after following Him, being consumed by wanting a deeper relationship with the Father, realizing that nothing else can satisfy your soul the way He does.

We currently have a world population of more than 7.3 billion people. Roughly 31% of those 7.3 billion people claim to be Christians. That’s over 2.1 billion people. 2.1 billion.

If all two billion of us were truly thirsty for Christ, would this world be in the state it’s in today? We live in a world predicted by the prophets:

 “ Be sure of this. In the last days hard times will come. People will love themselves. They will love money. They will talk about themselves and be proud. They will say wrong things about people. They will not obey their parents. They will not be thankful. They will not keep anything holy. They will have no love. They will not agree with anybody. They will tell lies about people. They will have no self-control. They will beat people. They will not love anything that is good.They cannot be trusted. They will act quickly, without thinking. They are proud of themselves. They love to have fun more than they love God.They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God’s power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Um…that sounds like now to me…but regardless, shouldn’t we Christians (all 2 billion of us) be shining SO brightly that we overshadow the over 69%? Shouldn’t we be so loving and forgiving and helpful and full of JOY that people can’t help but be drawn to us?

Why is it then that instead of striving to be like Jesus, we are fighting, assimilating with the secular world around us, insulting, blaming, judging…

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

We are called to be transformed –  to be different, outsiders! We should have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, and therefore, have the mind of Christ – making it more than a little obvious when something isn’t right.

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” John 15:18-24

I pray for all of us to strive to be more Christlike – to thirst for Him. Christianity is not passive. It is not a club you belong to and never visit. It is a LIFESTYLE that affects every single decision you make, and every single thing you do. It is a CHOICE to follow Him, no matter what is thrown in your path.

A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but “to reveal His Son in me…” (Galatians 1:16). (from ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers)

Are you willing to thirst and hunger after Christ at all costs?