Thursday, August 18, 2011

Thirsty Thursday -- Week 1

This is the start of the new series. I'll be going through the Bible looking for passages that either discuss directly the concept of being thirsty for God, or stories that display what happens when we try to quench said thirst apart from seeking God. Hope you enjoy.

Genesis 2:25  ~  The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Can you picture it? Living in a place where nakedness was bliss. Being in a place where everyone was comfortable in their own skin? To live life confident that you were made perfect? A place where there was no pressure to look a certain way? The only job we (humans) had was to live life in complete, constant, communion with God himself?

Yeah, I can't imagine it either.

This, however, is the exact way we were created to be. This is the place our souls long to get to? What messed up the original design for us? I'll give you one guess...

You've got it! Sin entered the world. Through one choice everything was changed. The utopia that we were created to live in was destroyed. And over what?! A piece of fruit?!? Some might think... When in reality it was due to our humanly thirst for knowledge. But this wasn't just any knowledge we were after. This was the knowledge to decipher good from evil. A knowledge that only God had at the time. That's right our own selfish thirst to, not just be like God, but to be our own god. The thought of being our own god, deciding what's right and what's wrong for ourselves was the culprit.

The next chapter reveals this thirst. Genesis 3:6-7  ~  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 

How long do you think it took for us to give in? A month? A week? A day? An hour? That much, we can't be sure of. All we can determine is that it probably wasn't too long. 

So, why? Why did we fall? Was it because the serpent's argument was so strong? Perhaps. What about or own hunger and thirst for more? Absolutely! Could it have been because we felt we didn't have enough? Possible. Along with the thirst for more, it probably also had something to do with our thirst and desire for always wanting what we can't have.

I know that's a big one for me. The more I hear that I can't have this, or I can't have that, the more I want it. Most times I want the "untouchable" thing so badly that I can literally taste it. (That's a powerful imagination for you)

How about this week, rather than allowing our thirst for knowledge and our thirst for having what is set aside as only God's drive us to wanting to be equal with God, why not allow it to fuel us to get to know Him better. Allow it to be used to shape us to be who we were created to be. That may be easier than chasing after wisdom to put ourselves on a pedastool next to him -- or even (in our minds) above Him.

Papa God,

You are the only one who knows EVERYTHING. You know everything above, below, and on the earth. Nothing takes you by surprise. Forgive me for those times when I seek knowledge to become my own god. Help me to remember, always, to seek You first. After all, you are the Giver of knowledge. I pray that my own fleshly desires for knowledge will lead me to the foot of your throne rather than trying to build one of my own.  Amen

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