Source and Substance

 

The Urban Dictionary defines “thirsty” as someone who is desperate or too eager to obtain something — especially “play.” That word, “play” is defined as having anything to do with sexual relations. Usually, someone is described as being “thirsty” when he/she tries too hard to impress someone of the opposite sex. An example would be if a boy becomes overbearing and obnoxious when trying to impress a girl. Being “thirsty” is not good. People could also call a ‘thirsty’ person a “try-hard.”

Don’t stay thirsty. I am going to preach a message just to tell you not to be thirsty; however, this message goes much deeper than merely trying too hard to impress someone who is attractive.

Imagine that a large tree had fallen halfway into a shallow river and the strong current caused some of the water to redirect and flow in a direction headed to a dead end on the shore. Imagine that some fish swimming in a that river see [because of the fallen tree] what appears to be two options of travel. Imagine that the fish discuss between themselves which direction to travel and one of the fish chooses the wrong path [despite the warnings from the other older and experienced fish] and swam in the newly created current that only leads to a dead end on the shoreline. Imagine that the fish swam too close to the shore and the strength of the current pushed the fish onto the sand of the land. Imagine the fish struggling to move and to breathe. What happens to a fish out of water?

We are the fish in that story. We are the substance within the source that has the free will to swim in any direction we choose. We always have others in our lives to give us guidance; however, it is ultimately up to us as to which direction we travel.

GOD created Heaven and Earth, spoke to space and created light, spoke to Earth to separate sky from water, spoke to Earth to create land and to separate land from water, spoke to the land to create vegetation, spoke to the land to create animals, spoke to the water to create fish, and then GOD spoke to Himself in order to create humans.

(Genesis 1:1-27)

GOD created humans in His own image. It’s all about the source. GOD spoke to the source to create the substance. Without the source, the substance dies. Water is the source of fish; if you take a fish out of water, it will die. If you pull the vegetation out of the ground, it will die. If you separate a human from GOD, he/she will die. Is death an instantaneous response to the separation? No. The death happens slowly. Does a flower automatically die once you pluck it from the ground? No, it slowly withers to nothing.

A human without GOD is like a fish out of water or a flower plucked from the ground. GOD spoke to the source to create the substance! GOD spoke to Himself when He created us! Nothing else was created by GOD speaking to Himself. Only humans. Fish are the substance of water. Vegetation are the substance of land. But humans are the substance of GOD. But GOD is The Source of everything.

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7) -NIV

GOD spoke to create light, sky, land, all varieties of seed-bearing plants, every sort of fruit-bearing tree, seasons and days and years, sun and moon and stars, all sea life, all birds in the sky, and all sort and kind of animal life: cattle and reptiles and wild animals. However, GOD created Man from dirt and breath of life! GOD became very intimate while creating man! GOD was very personal while making us — His own breath of life given to us! No other creation was created by GOD’s very own breath of life!

Don’t suffocate. Don’t wither and die. I challenge you to listen to good advice from those who have a lot of life experience and wisdom. I also challenge you to stick with The Source so that you may be the substance of life and love.

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ ”

(John 4:13) -NIV

In this verse, Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman by a well. Jesus went on to tell her that He knew that she had five previous husbands and that the man she was currently with wasn’t her husband. The woman wasn’t satisfied in life nor was she complete. Jesus basically told the woman that she was living her life in the same way she was attempting to quench her physical thirst. The woman kept coming back to the well in order to quench her thirst; likewise, the woman kept searching for happiness to fill a void. Jesus told her that He was the Living Water — Christ is fulfillment; Christ fills the void!

“Meanwhile his disciples urged him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about.’ Then his disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought him food?’ ‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’ ”

(John 4: 31-34) -NIV

Immediately after Jesus had told the Samaritan woman about the Living Water, Jesus told His disciples about food that sustained Him. Both the thirst and the hunger Jesus spoke of were spiritual, not physical.

“People do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

(Deuteronomy 8:3) -NLT

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ ”

(Psalm 42: 1-3) -NIV

People are thirsty; people are hungry. Without GOD, people attempt to fill an eternal void in their lives with temporary fillers. Alcohol is a multi-billion dollar industry that makes money off people attempting to drown their miseries. Likewise, pharmaceutical drugs generate millions of dollars in sales and make money off people attempting to numb their sufferings. The entertainment industry also brings in millions of dollars at box office sales and make money off people attempting to distract themselves from their realities they face on a daily basis. There are many forms of temporary pleasures, but none of them will ever be able to truly satisfy or fill the void — they all leave someone wanting more. All of the temporary pleasures only provide a brief moment of peace and always leave someone craving yet another temporary fix.

For what do you hunger? For what do you thirst? Do you continually place temporary fillers in your void? Are you tired of chasing after temporary fixes? Are you connected to The Source of joy? Are you connected to The Source of fulfillment?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

(Matthew 5:6) -NIV

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ ”

(John 6:35) -NIV

Not long ago, I listened to my pastor and mentor (Mark Benson at The Rock) preach a sermon on being thirsty for the Living Water (Jesus Christ). I had already started writing this sermon of mine when I heard Mark preach his sermon. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit can connect believers in the same message even through different methods of delivery. Although we approached this topic differently, we ended up at the same conclusion: Christ is our Living Water and with Him, we shall never thirst again; Christ is our Bread of Life and with Him, we shall never hunger again. Let us end the hunger games and allow the Bread of Life to nourish us. I urge you — do not stay thirsty, my friends! Accept the Living Water and never thirst again.

If you are one of the many people who seem to always find themselves trying to fill a void with temporary pleasures, I invite you to accept Jesus Christ into your heart so that you may know true joy and fulfillment. I pray that you will know what it feels like to fill that void and never need to chase another temporary fix. If that’s you, simply ask Jesus to come into your heart and and accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior.