December 17th, 2024
This week, I’ve been thinking about the power of recognizing our need for God. In order to live in the fullness of what God has for us, we have to recognize our complete dependency on Him. In Matthew 5, Jesus teaches what are commonly called the beatitudes. They are promises with a requirement attached to them and they give us a pattern for how to live. Today, I just want to share what’s been on my heart about two of them!
Matthew 5:3 says,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Poor in spirit doesn’t mean lacking in spirit. It is a lifestyle of recognizing our depravity without God. It’s a lifestyle of complete dependency. Jesus is the greatest example of this. He was the Son of God, with the fullness of the kingdom at His command. He could have commissioned angels to deliver Him from the cross. He could have demonstrated His authority to everyone who challenged Him. However, He was sent to earth as a baby, completely dependent on His earthy parents. He lived in surrender to the Father, only doing what He saw the Father doing. When He was abused, He cried out for His tormentor’s forgiveness. He demonstrated how to live in unity, dependency, humility, and perfect agreement with the heart of God. That’s what it is to be poor in spirit.
Jesus went on to say in Matthew 5:6,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
The prerequisite to be satisfied in the kingdom of God is to hunger and thirst for that which only He can give. My pastor has always said to live “satisfied with a divine dissatisfaction.” We live satisfied by Him alone and with a constant hunger for more. The more we hunger for God, the more He’ll fill us with Himself. It’s the promise of His Word and it’s a theme of the whole Word of God.
There is a fascinating story in the New Testament that ties into this truth. John 4:7-14 says:
‘A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but 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.”’
This story captured my heart this week as I thought about recognizing our need for God and hungering for His kingdom. God will fill us when we make room and ask Him to do so. Are you satisfied with what you have, or do you want more? Jesus told the woman at the well, “If you only knew, you would have asked.” That truth is just as powerful for every human being on the earth today. If we knew what He was waiting to willingly pour out, we would ask until we were filled to overflowing. When we consume natural things, we will constantly need to be refilled. However, the water of life wells up to eternal life, not diminishing as it satisfies us. We can become so full that rivers of living water flow from us! We are not filled just to satisfy us, but to expand our capacity and allow what’s in us to flow to the people around us. It doesn’t ever dry up but instead flows out!
The life and power in His presence are more than enough to fill us. When we encounter Him – when we taste of His presence – we will be changed forever. Once you’ve truly experienced the power of His goodness, you will live with a divine dissatisfaction. A lifestyle fulfilled only in Him and always hungry for that which He is willing to pour out.
Psalm 107:9 says,
“For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.”
Psalm 42:1 says,
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”
Isaiah 55:1 says,
““Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
Revelation 22:7 says,
‘The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.’
All these scriptures demonstrate a theme in the word of God. Our longing for Him is tied to our satisfaction. If we are careless about the things of God, He won’t entrust us with the treasures of His kingdom. If we don’t desire His presence, He will allow us to fill ourselves with things that won’t satisfy. He will not force us to receive, but He waits willingly to give. How much do we desire His kingdom? This week, we encourage you to cry out for the water of life. We encourage you to cry out for the only thing that will satisfy your soul. We must live in complete dependence and utter surrender. From that place of dependency, we will receive! When we hunger and thirst for His presence, we will be filled! He is faithful to His Word. If we truly knew what He has, we wouldn’t hesitate to ask. It’s better than anything the world has to offer! It’s the power and presence of God. The Kingdom has come to us, first in a humble stable in Bethlehem and now in our very hearts by the mercy of God and the blood of Jesus!
Matthew 5:3 says,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Poor in spirit doesn’t mean lacking in spirit. It is a lifestyle of recognizing our depravity without God. It’s a lifestyle of complete dependency. Jesus is the greatest example of this. He was the Son of God, with the fullness of the kingdom at His command. He could have commissioned angels to deliver Him from the cross. He could have demonstrated His authority to everyone who challenged Him. However, He was sent to earth as a baby, completely dependent on His earthy parents. He lived in surrender to the Father, only doing what He saw the Father doing. When He was abused, He cried out for His tormentor’s forgiveness. He demonstrated how to live in unity, dependency, humility, and perfect agreement with the heart of God. That’s what it is to be poor in spirit.
Jesus went on to say in Matthew 5:6,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
The prerequisite to be satisfied in the kingdom of God is to hunger and thirst for that which only He can give. My pastor has always said to live “satisfied with a divine dissatisfaction.” We live satisfied by Him alone and with a constant hunger for more. The more we hunger for God, the more He’ll fill us with Himself. It’s the promise of His Word and it’s a theme of the whole Word of God.
There is a fascinating story in the New Testament that ties into this truth. John 4:7-14 says:
‘A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but 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.”’
This story captured my heart this week as I thought about recognizing our need for God and hungering for His kingdom. God will fill us when we make room and ask Him to do so. Are you satisfied with what you have, or do you want more? Jesus told the woman at the well, “If you only knew, you would have asked.” That truth is just as powerful for every human being on the earth today. If we knew what He was waiting to willingly pour out, we would ask until we were filled to overflowing. When we consume natural things, we will constantly need to be refilled. However, the water of life wells up to eternal life, not diminishing as it satisfies us. We can become so full that rivers of living water flow from us! We are not filled just to satisfy us, but to expand our capacity and allow what’s in us to flow to the people around us. It doesn’t ever dry up but instead flows out!
The life and power in His presence are more than enough to fill us. When we encounter Him – when we taste of His presence – we will be changed forever. Once you’ve truly experienced the power of His goodness, you will live with a divine dissatisfaction. A lifestyle fulfilled only in Him and always hungry for that which He is willing to pour out.
Psalm 107:9 says,
“For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.”
Psalm 42:1 says,
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”
Isaiah 55:1 says,
““Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
Revelation 22:7 says,
‘The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.’
All these scriptures demonstrate a theme in the word of God. Our longing for Him is tied to our satisfaction. If we are careless about the things of God, He won’t entrust us with the treasures of His kingdom. If we don’t desire His presence, He will allow us to fill ourselves with things that won’t satisfy. He will not force us to receive, but He waits willingly to give. How much do we desire His kingdom? This week, we encourage you to cry out for the water of life. We encourage you to cry out for the only thing that will satisfy your soul. We must live in complete dependence and utter surrender. From that place of dependency, we will receive! When we hunger and thirst for His presence, we will be filled! He is faithful to His Word. If we truly knew what He has, we wouldn’t hesitate to ask. It’s better than anything the world has to offer! It’s the power and presence of God. The Kingdom has come to us, first in a humble stable in Bethlehem and now in our very hearts by the mercy of God and the blood of Jesus!
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