"Obey Your Thirst"--I Like the Spirit in You

"Obey Your Thirst!" is the tagline for a series of ads touting the lemon-lime refreshment of Sprite. The sub theme is, "I Like the Sprite in You!"

If we follow along with the line of reasoning touted by these ads, we will soon become believers--that Sprite's sweet, sparkling effervescence will permanently and pleasingly placate our parched palates.

At any given point, we can find ourselves thirsting for something, but contrary to the clever commercials, sometimes it's far beyond what anything made from lemon, lime, carbonated water or sugar could ever quench. In John 4:7 we read the story about a woman who went out to draw water from a well and experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus, the living water.

Jesus said to her, "If you knew the gift of God...you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water." He then went on to explain in John 4:13-14,"Whoever drinks of this (well) water shall thirst again: But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

Now, if you get a little Sprite in you, you may experience some bubbling in your throat and a tickling in your nose. But when you get the Spirit in you, as in Holy Spirit, that's when you experience the "springing up into everlasting life" that bubbles deep down in the essence of you where liquids can't even begin to touch!

Thirst is a powerful and demanding drive that can be delayed but never totally denied. At some point, we indeed must obey our thirst. The challenge is finding a way to quench our thirst without compromising critical functions. Too much sugary soda, for instance, will result in cavities, sugar imbalances, weight gain, and other problems.

We crave and thirst for love, attention and affirmation but seek physical outlets for what are actually internal/spiritual thirsts. We find out -- sometimes the hard way-- that there's not enough sex, drugs, and rock and roll (or shopping) to ever satisfy that deep down thirst within each of us to discover and walk in our purpose in life.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled." What a notion! A thirst that can actually be filled! When we desire to know God's Word and His awesome plans for us as deeply as we desire food and water, we will experience a sense of satisfaction unmatched by anything physical.

Too many of us have overindulged the physical and malnourished the spirit, forgetting that we are mind, body and spirit--tripart beings created in the image of a triune God.

So, if you were willing to trust the Sprite commercials, why not give the Spirit a try? The next time you hit a dry patch in your life, go ahead, obey your thirst. And guess what? God's already written a great tagline for what He's offering, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Ps. 34:8)

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen