Let’s
pretend that you’re stranded in the desert.
You have no water, no food. Your
lips and throat are so parched and dry that they’re raw, cracked, blistered, and
bleeding. A very nice man comes by with
a large cup in hand and offers you a drink.
With trembling hands you reach out, take the cup and bring it to your
blistered lips. But wait! It’s nothing but a cup of... rocks!
The very
nice man encourages you to read what’s written on each rock. One rock says conference, one says ladies retreat,
one says church nursery, one says praise music, and one says Christian
books. You can’t believe that when you
need water, he gives you rocks. And he
can’t believe that these wonderful, really great rocks won’t quench your
thirst!
At times you may be 'spiritually dry'. You feel raw, empty, cracked, blistered, lost and
alone. So what do you do? Well, you may begin to do some really good
things. Things like listening to praise
music, going to a ladies retreat, helping in the church nursery. You get busy doing things, really good things. These
are all wonderful events that may point you to Christ, but they, like the
rocks, can’t take the place of a relationship with Christ, our Living Water.
Apart from a relationship with Jesus,
even the really good things won't quench your thirst.
Are there ever times when you just feel spiritually dry?
What have you done to quench that thirst?
I'd love to hear from you!
Leave a comment!
Living
in His grace,
Very nice analogy! I enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeletehttp://agutandabutt.blogspot.com/
Thanks Betty! I'm glad you came by!
DeleteI was just at your site. I'm so proud of you!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Oh so good! How often do we want the message vs. the messenger. The gift vs. the gift giver. Oh that we might seek Him. Wholely. Completely. Separately from all we do FOR Him today!
ReplyDeleteNeed this today, friend. Can't tell you how much I need this! Refreshing truth!
Jen
Jen, it's wonderful how God places before us that which we need the most... He's awesome!
DeleteI've been praying for you and your blessed adventure. May God richly bless you.
Blessings and love ~ Mary
Mary, oh, how your beautiful words make me smile. Yes! I am just nodding with you, sister. I am so tired of getting distracted from the One who loves me by the things that seem so good but, in the end, without His living water quenching my true thirst, leave me parched and dry. I will need to keep coming back here, to your beautiful place. Thank you. So thrilled to be your neighbor at Jen's today.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer! I'm so glad we're neighbors today! I've found that even the very 'best' things can't fill my thirsty soul... only One can quench those dry, weary places!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
You drew me in from the beginning! I don't tend to feel spiritually dry, but I do need to do a better job at reading the Word. Not the helpful books by Joyce, Joel, etc. but the actual Bible.
ReplyDeleteXOXO,
Meredith
Meredith, you make a great point. There's nothing wrong with reading great books as long as we don't allow them to replicate relationship with Jesus.
DeleteI'm so glad you came by today!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
I love the idea that even good things are bad when they are not the ONE we need!
ReplyDeleteHi Helene! Nothing can compare or replace relationship with our awesome Lord!
DeleteThanks for coming by and taking time to leave a comment!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Dear Mary
ReplyDeleteExcellent!!! Wisdom straight from our Pappa's heart. You know Mary, all these "good" things can be beautifully done in the flesh and we tend to forget that if the life of our Lord Jesus is not the essence of even these things, it is just filthy rags in our Pappa's eyes. I linked-up after you at Jen's and was pleasantly surprised to find you as my neighbor!
Much love to you, dear friend
Mia
Oh Mia, apart from Jesus, even the 'best' things are as filthy rags. It's incredible that our Pappa not only allows, but desires intimate relationship with us... we are so blessed. I'm so glad we're neighbors today! I always look forward to hearing from you!
DeleteMuch love ~ Mary
Really, really great post!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ren! I'm honored that you came by today!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
Whoa... stopped me right in my proverbial tracks this morning! The rocks don't do any good if the living water isn't flowing over them. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Beckey! You're absolutely right! I love the picture you create of the living water flowing over the rocks... Beautiful!
DeleteThanks so much for visiting!
Blessings and love ~ Mary
Yep. Nothing can satisfy like HIM!
ReplyDeleteWell said, Jen!
DeleteThanks so much for coming by!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
This is so true. I'm not always aware of how dry I am until I taste His living water. : )
ReplyDeleteOh Gail, I know what you mean. There are times I don't realize how parched I am until His living water saturates my soul... as He alone can do.
DeleteBlessings to you, friend ~ Mary
Mary, This is a poignant analogy, and the photos you've chosen really drive home your excellent point. Thank you so much for sharing with the #TellHisStory community.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jennifer. Nothing replaces the living water of relationship with our Lord.
DeleteThanks for coming by, and thanks so much for hosting Tell His Story community!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Great post! Thank you for a poignant reminder. This one will stick in my memory for sure!
ReplyDeleteBTW, stopping by from Janis's Wednesday's Word.
You're so welcome! I'm thankful that it spoke to you.
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
So true! Women especially can over-serve ourselves into spiritual dryness or exhaustion. What a great reminder. Found you via Doing You Well Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteHi Bekah! You're right. It's easy to replace service with relationship. I find I don't get nearly as exhausted with serving when I'm allowing the One who refreshes to quench my thirsty soul.
DeleteThanks for visiting!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
True. Thank yoy for writing and sharing this.
ReplyDeleteJedidja, I'm so glad came from the Netherlands to visit today! Isn't technology wonderful?!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
Did you know that sucking on a pebble can alleviate thirst? That little fact popped into my head as I read your post today. It doesn't satisfy but helps you last until you reach water....
ReplyDeleteI think though that events like that may indeed point you to Christ, or they may not. What they might also do is be an opening to taste the living water of Christ ... a moment alone at a retreat, pondering and being surrounded by God's creation. I know that if I'd chosen not to serve on my church's vestry (board) the mountaintop God experience that I had, might never have happened, or given God's persistence, later on in my life. But if they are just something-to-do-to-be productive or holy, then, yeah, definitely rocks.
Hi Leanne! Thanks for sharing this. I think somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I do remember hearing about the pebble. I totally agree that God can absolutely use those times to meet and minister to us in beautiful, intimate, life-changing ways.{I love your church vestry example} What I was referring to were the times that we may be REPLACING relationship with the busyness of doing good things APART from Jesus.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your thoughts!
Blessings to you, my friend ~ Mary
Hey, it's Debt Free Mommy here. I've just published my first e-book and I'm super excited about it, but I need to get the word out. It's on promotion right now and free for only 3 days. If you're at all interested in a short, week long devotional on clearing fear-based clutter from your life, please follow my link and download it while it's still free (March 19-21). Thanks, Tabitha
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/The-Cluttered-Christian-Fear-based-ebook/dp/B00BW7CP8U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363704456&sr=1-1&keywords=the+cluttered+christian
Way to go, Tabitha, on writing your first e-book! I'm looking forward to checking it out!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary