Study 16 - 2007: June 25th - July 1st 2007

How to Quench a Thirst?

“On the last and most important day of the Festival Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink. Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the scriptures say”. Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone who had faith in him. The Spirit hadn’t been given to anyone, since Jesus hadn’t yet been his full glory.” John Ch 7:37-39 (CEV).

There’s a big difference between professional golfers who win one tournament to a legend who has competed at the top for over 30 years. Bernhard Langer the German golfer who now lives in America has been a supporter of Links for some years and whenever he comes to Australia has always been available to meet with interested pro’s for sharing his faith in Jesus Christ with others, for bible study, fellowship and prayer. Bernhard at the age of 49 and a Professional for 31 years has finished 2nd in a US Tour event recently and last week finished 2nd in the BMW International in his home country on the European Tour. He has over 50 victories worldwide.

When it comes to greatness; is there a person better known in life across the centuries throughout each country than the person of Jesus Christ? I have studied many of the religions of the world. I find it interesting but not surprising that each have a place for Jesus somewhere in their thinking even though what they believe about Jesus is less than what we believe.

The chief reason for the greatness of Jesus comes from our belief that:

• He is God;
• Possesses life that is eternal;
• Gives this to everyone who comes to him and puts their and trust in him.

CS Lewis, a former atheist turned believer and the author of the novel and movie; The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe once said these words about Jesus:

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg- or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman and something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us have none of this patronising nonsense about His being a great teacher. He has not left this open to us. He did not intend to.” (Mere Christianity page 52.)

To believe in Jesus is to receive the Holy Spirit; this includes God putting his stamp of ownership on you. The Holy Spirit is God living within us. I have found that when I put my trust in Jesus, those wells of life-giving giving water flow up from within and give you great joy and peace in life.

We all are thirsty; it is just a matter of what we are thirsty for? Water will nourish the body for a short time and alcohol will satisfy for even a shorter period, but both are enjoyable for those that like a drink and use alcohol wisely. The weakness of each of those is that they only last a short time.

The life giving water that Jesus so boldly said he possesses and gives lasts forever. We cannot lose it nor can it be taken way from us because it is God who gives it and his promises can be trusted. This is what makes Jesus great, the quality and the quantity together..

It is sad to see so many people who talk about Jesus or use his name without ever taking the time to learn about his life and the claims that he makes. Jesus is more than a good teacher, he has the words of eternal life.

Prayer
Our God, Thank you that we have life for a short time now and all the things we enjoy, but help us to see in Jesus that there is a better life to be found that involves putting our trust in him. Amen.