Thirsty

P 2480 Empty cups!

/ DVH

We have all been born, broken. There was sin in this world before we arrived here, and it will still be here … when we die. Someone once said that we come into this world with our little cups that need love, empty. Yet we all need love – some of us need it so badly we steal it!  The sad fact is we often wander around with our little empty cups from person to person, looking for someone that gets us … someone who sees us. Someone who will understand us, especially in our best or worst moments.

We may be fortunate to find a selfless person who gives freely, but for every selfless person there will be many many others who drain the cup of our hope and provision. So we need spiritual help and provision. Jesus never felt the lack of His Father’s Love, until He was in Gethsemane and He went on to die on that cross. That’s where He suffered that awful loneliness for us — if we need understanding we need to remind ourselves that the Lord Jesus understands. He entered into the human condition. We were designed to LIVE in the Presence of God. Go back to Eden, look at Moses, or Abraham … human beings were not designed to live without God and still flourish. Life batters everyone.

Sadly, many of the people around us that we choose to fill that cup, either leave, or they damage us further. Sometimes we even get married, with that huge thirsty need in the back of our emotions. We badly want to be fixed, but …. often so does the other person!!  And they too, see US as their answer. Human beings have a deep need to be loved … and those other people cannot fix you or I, because they have empty cups too. The ability to love others freely without limits, even the vile and the profane, is not found in people… that ability is only found in God Himself. We need His love to fill us and overflow in us and through us, then we will be giving away from abundance. If someone hurts us, most of the time they are not doing it for spite … it may well be that they are also hurting. I know this is trite – hurt people hurt people. But when we actively apply the truth into our lives it will set us free.

I believe the answer to filling this cup to overflowing is found in the 23rd Psalm. He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Even at our lowest moments that cup is there to be drunk, using our faith. Don’t search your feelings, simply remember God’s realm operates through faith. Sit with Him, discern your need for love in the middle of the chaos, and ask for Him to overflow in you. When we are tormented by the pain of lovelessness, loneliness and emptiness we also need to ask to be able to discern His cup, which is always available. We must take our eyes off the problem and fix them on Jesus.“He is the Author and Finisher of our faith …” Hebrews 12:2. Faith is always the source of provision. 

Other people cannot fill that void. Only Jesus can. He said: “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” Human beings were designed to be loved and accepted for who they are and Jesus is the only Person I ever met Who does that!  We simply need to go directly to the source. Jesus did. He got alone with His Father in the midst of a busy schedule. We must stop badgering God for answers, answers are a temporary patch. Tomorrow you will need more! Just go and sit and be with Him. He is LOVE, and all the acceptance we will ever need.

Jesus  also said:“I am the way the truth and the life …” Did you get that? Our new life is in Him now – He is the way into that new life and He always speaks the truth. He is more alive than anyone else that has ever been on this planet! He has that vibrant life in HIMSELF – He paid an enormous price to get it, and He gives us His life for free. Our faith is the key to unlocking the door to love’s provision. Only our Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit can love human beings the way they need to be loved. Why? Because the Trinity are not needy. They have Each Other. Love is the language that flourishes between Them and They all love to share.

Just to remind you that He is our help with the empty cup pain that no-one else but He can fill: “… my cup overflows …”(Psalm 23:5) Remember this cup is to be found in the presence of our enemies … We need to take our focus off our feelings of emptiness, or the lack we feel, or even the people tormenting us—and focus on the overflowing cup …“The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup … “Psalm 16:5. We are the people who never have to live this life with an empty cup – we have a Saviour. 🙌

P 2301 Christianity is not a theoretical construct.

/ DVH

We can all fall madly in love with a whole lot of Christian principles. We can ‘like’ and repeat them over and over again on Facebook, or whatever … but none of that is worth a hill of beans unless we make those principles our lifestyle. There are a whole lot of other faiths that have sound principles and doctrine too. Living our lives giving away His Love from day to day changes everything – it takes the supernatural to do that.

Christianity is failing this world – especially in the West – in one place. It is all talk and no action! There are a whole lot of people who can talk a great game – they can quote the bible chapter and verse, and they have memorised whole books. But they disappear into the ether when the going gets tough and people or life get difficult. The practical outworking of their faith depends on their own personal circumstances and resources and not on flowing with the Holy Spirit.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, DEMONSTRATED Their love to us when we were yet sinners. This word means to – give a practical exhibition and explanation of …. AND – clearly show the existence or truth of (something) by giving proof or evidence.

“If anyone sees a fellow believer in need and has the means to help him, yet shows no pity and closes his heart against him, how is it even possible that God’s love lives in him? Beloved children, our love can’t be an abstract theory we only talk about, but a way of life demonstrated through our loving deeds. We know that the truth lives within us because we demonstrate love in action, which will reassure our hearts in His presence.” 1 John 3:17-19 TPT. Check out James 2:15-17.

So here’s a couple of my knotty questions for you today – ‘How many times in this past week have you demonstrated God’s love to someone else?’ Second question – ‘How many times did the Holy Spirit prompt you to do something and you turned Him down because you were too busy or didn’t have enough time?’ Here’s a big thought our God is the Author of time and He knows how to stretch it. Read the book. I’ve personally watched Him do that so many times…

We all long to see miracles, but in order to see a miracle, someone is going to have to take a risk. Taking risks and living in obedience are the most important part of how our faith works. If we knew what we were told to do was going to work, before we did it, then it wouldn’t be faith. We are going to have to become a bold, fearless people, which is why the Lord encourages us, through Joshua, to be strong and courageous. And through Isaiah He tells us, ‘When you walk through the fire, you won’t get burnt, when you walk through the river you won’t get drowned.’ Like I said, Christians are delegated risk takers.

So we give away money in the face of recession, we talk about Jesus even when we are embarrassed and afraid. Just FYI, I never once taught my children about the Lord that I didn’t feel greatly intimidated at the time. My kids looked at the floor, looked the ceiling, looked at their nails, and every single part of their body language said ‘please shut up now, mum.’ It  is not meant to be easy to witness or love or have faith, we are going against the very fibre and fabric of our society when we do it. That’s what makes it powerful. 

In order to demonstrate God’s love to other people, as well as strangers, we have to risk disinterest, rejection, anger and being told to mind our own business. Just because it’s not popular, that does not invalidate it. There are so many times in Christian history where Jesus’ love was demonstrated, His kingdom life was given away freely, and it blew people’s socks off. Not to mention it brought new life into abject darkness! We can operate in stealth mode as the Lord leads us, but we can’t ever be a light and not expose things that are hiding in the darkness. 

Plus we cannot say we love if there is no demonstration, otherwise we are presenting a theory and not a fact. Love looks like something – to the hungry it’s food, to the thirsty it’s water, to the rejected, it’s acceptance, to the outcast, it means finally finding a home. When we give away, and demonstrate God’s love we enter the Spirit’s River of Life. I urge us all, ‘don’t paddle around on the edge … JUMP IN.’ Jumping in shows commitment. 👋🏻 

P 2221 Watch out, or judgment will get ya!

/ DVH

“For we reach the goal of fulfilling all the commandments when we love others deeply with a pure heart, a clean conscience, and sincere faith.” 1 Timothy 1:5 TPT. If we ever wanted a simple answer to every situation – this scripture is it. Love others deeply. Yeah, I wonder how we might try and wiggle out of that one?  Fat chance, BTW. Jesus died to give us a pure heart and a clean conscience – so if we don’t have those things then we need to seriously start to revise our theology. Read the book.

If you are even a little like me, you could look at that verse and think – ‘well that’s not easy!’ Then several people who really bother the daylights out of you, might instantly pop into your head. I’ve asked the Lord to help me with all those people that I want to love … but they drive me crazy instead. He said this. “You need a wider view of them. A kingdom view.” Up until then I was madly praying for more love and scrabbling about in my feelings to find it, plus I prayed for lots more wisdom. It had never occurred to me that to see them differently, I need to see those people through His eyes. God has the widest view of humanity ever – He saw all of US as redeemable. I like HIS view!

Here’s another big thought to add to the first one: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39. If we really ARE convinced that nothing, including death, can separate us from Him – then why do we live this life in a defeated fashion. Or even half-heartedly? What are we so afraid of? Why are we so easily satisfied with religion and its rituals? 

Here’s my answer. It is all about control. Religion is a BOX. It is sometimes a really BIG box full of big thoughts – but it is still a box! And human beings love to categorise things so we can make them easier to handle. Stuff like this: ‘He’s a murderer. That person is a trans person. That one is a liar. Those people aren’t married, they are living in adultery. That person is homosexual. This nationality are all thieves. Those people are gossips. Those people, over there, don’t believe in Jesus so they are going to hell.’ 

We comfort ourselves with the thought that if we identify the other person’s sin – it is OK not to love them, be-cau-se God doesn’t like those things and we’ve got the scriptures to prove it! Hmmmm.  God saved you and I when we were DEAD in our sins, why can’t HE save them? You know if you go fishing you don’t clean the fish before you’ve caught them! Selah. 

If the Body of Christ is going to truly love other people like Timothy said, and if His love is available for everyone – then we will have to chuck away our boxes and suspend judgment. Which BTW, is a really good plan… be-ca-use … JESUS said in Matthew 7. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Now, just hang on a minute lady …WE are the good guys, the bible says WE are the beloved of God, the head not the tail, the blessed ones! We go to church every single Sunday! Plus we have the righteousness of Christ!  HOWEVER … surprise surprise! … It doesn’t much sound like we have LOVE… Clang clang clang.

The above judgmental thinking shows us that our personal theology is prejudiced against the very people Jesus came to save! Now, we have an opportunity. We can comfort ourselves and hide from the truth, or face it square on and confess our lack of love. We don’t have to like what people do to love them. When Lord Jesus chose His disciples – He chose a thief who was a betrayer, a doubter, a person with no self-control, a man who was boastful, two revengeful and ambitious men, and a TAX-collector to follow Him. He was looking for people who were spiritually hungry and thirsty, not morally sound ones! HE STILL IS. Maybe some of the people I mentioned above are trapped by their sins and they don’t know how to get out … and perhaps our lack of love keeps them away from our churches! We need His wisdom.

And if we truly want to love others we are going to have to  suspend, and make sure we get rid of judgment toward everyone else and leave that bit up to Him. Let’s get on with our bit instead, shall we? Our bit is to love them with His unconditional wide, deep, love, into His kingdom. (Romans 8) Our other bit is to be personally transformed by His love so we become like Him. HIS BRIDE IS MEANT TO BE MORE LIKE A HOSPITAL than a bunch of pious people congratulating themselves on what they think they know. Well, that’s enough to think on for one morning. Bye.. 👋🏻