Water for the thirsty

 Water for the thirsty

 

Blessed are those who thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 1

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 2

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 3

To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life. 4 Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. 5

Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 6

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. 7

 

1 Mt 5.6 2 Isa 41.17-18 3 Isa 44.3 4 Rev 21.6 5 Jn 4.14 6 Jn 7.37-38 7 Isa 55.1

Jesus suffered as we do

Since God’s children have flesh and blood, Jesus too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 1

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. 2

Jesus wept. 3 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears. 4

Being in anguish, he prayed earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 5

Christ suffered in his body. 6 He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. He was oppressed and afflicted. 7 He was crucified. 8

But we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 9

 

1 Heb 2.14-17 2 Isa 53.3-4 3 Jn 11.35 4 Heb 5.7 5 Lk 22.44 6 1Pt 4.1 7 Isa 53.5 8 2Cor 13.4 9 Heb 2.9-10

Only God can save

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 1 In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength. 2

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? 3

Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 4 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trusts in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. The Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. 5

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death. 6

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. 7

 

1 Psa 146.3 2 Isa 45.24 3 2Sam 22.32 4 Jer 17.5 5 Isa 31.1 6 Psa 33.16-19 7 Psa 20.7

My life in Christ

Even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvellous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me. 1 I was blind, and now I can see! 2

God had mercy on me. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. 3 I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. 4

May I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 5 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 6

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! 7

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 8

 

1 Gal 1.15-16 2 Jn 9.25 3 1Tim 1.13-14 4 Phil 3.9 5 Gal 6.14 6 Gal 2.20 7 Phil 3.8-11 8 Phil 1.21

Peace from God

The LORD give his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace. 1 But there is no peace for the wicked. 2

Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 3 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. 4 Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 5

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. 6

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 7

I pray that God will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. 8 For the Kingdom of God is goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 9 May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. 10

 

1 Psa 29.11 2 Isa 48.22 3 Rom 8.6 4 Rom 12.2 5 Eph 4.22-23 6 Phil 4.8-9 7 Phil 4.6-7 8 Rom 15.13 9 Rom 14.17 10 2Th 3.16

The LORD will be your confidence

You are God’s people. 1 You are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 2

Your sins are forgiven for Jesus’s name’s sake. 3 And you have overcome the evil one. 4

You are strong. 5 The joy of the LORD is your strength. 6

You stand firm in your faith. 7 For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 8 He will sustain you to the end, guiltless. 9

You will walk on your way securely. 10 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 11

You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 12 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 13 For the LORD will be your confidence. 14

 

1 1Pet 2.10 2 1Pet 4.14 3 1Jn 2.12 4 1Jn 2.14 5 1Jn 2.14 6 Neh 8.10 7 2Cor 1.24 8 1Jn 4.4 9 1Cor 1.8 10 Prov 3.23 11 Psa 121.7 12 Psa 91.5-6 13 Prov 3.24 14 Prov 3.26

I will do something new

God says

 

Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth, will you not be aware of it? 1

All the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal. 2 Lift up your eyes to the sky, then look to the earth beneath; for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not wane. 3 For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. 4

I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; and my salvation will not delay. 5 Preserve justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed. How blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it; who keeps from profaning the sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. 6

For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me, so your offspring and your name will endure. 7

 

1 Isa 43.18-19 2 Zeph 3.8 3 Isa 51.6 4 Isa 65.17-18 5 Isa 46.13 6 Isa 56.1-2 7 Isa 66.22