My THIRST QUENCHER

JESUSmy Helper
"THE THIRST QUENCHER"#40
As I started this anew, with only one blog post for the entire Section 6 with JESUS, the Helper, I missed not having a Sunday post. Because of this, for this first week (at least), Chapter or Week 40, I've decided to write about "The Thirst Quencher" (now that I have read the Scripture Readings and all 5 parts of the devotional by James Merritt). I should have considered doing this for all the previous sections. {a little late, huh?} 

Since I have been joining an Online Bible Study with Proverbs 31 Ministry on the newest InScribed Collection book written by Wendy Blight since September 5th and we're almost finished with "Rest for Your Soul"; I've found out that my soul not only needs "Rest" but that my soul is thirsty also, just like the woman at the well. Only through Jesus Christ can my soul's thirstiness be quenched. If you've been in a dry place (like a desert) or your mouth becomes so dry ... you understand the need for a THIRST QUENCHER, now listen to THE THIRST QUENCHER (and hopefully you'll Come and Rest with Him) (Matthew 11:28-30) {by the way, Wendy's book is well with the purchase - the content is invaluable!!!}

Jesus tells us in John 7:37:     

                                                                                    

"... If anyone thirsts, let him/her come to Me ..."

And this passage brings us right back to Jesus with the woman at the well in John 4. It seems to me that I often relate to the 'nameless' women more in the Bible. We know that she is a Samaritan, but I recently discovered through the Jesus Project that in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions, she is venerated as Saint Photini (Photine, Photina; meaning "the luminous one" or "enlightened"). This conversation between her and Jesus is one of the longest stories and conversation that Jesus is recorded having with anyone. I also can relate to times in my life when I thought I needed to search for something to satisfy me, when my soul was really thirsting for the One that I already knew - Jesus! He is all I ever needed and need! There's such a deep satisfaction that can only come from Him - I'm truly thankful that I found this out mid-life or before I wasted much more of my life. I knew Jesus (about Him), but I did not know about the importance of my personal relationship and salvation that comes from Him, until I made a shift in my religious denomination, and even still I never realized how much I need and rely on Jesus but needed to live out all that I had read and learned and knew by applying this to how I lived my life, the choices and decisions I made, which comes down to showing my love for Father/Jesus/Spirit through my obedience to His Word, following what I believe. I'm still a work in progress, yet "I live and breathe and have my being" through Him so I must stop, recalculate, refresh, and refocus on Jesus by returning constantly and consistently to having my thirst quenched by His Spirit in the Word (His Holy Bible). The Spirit produces thirst-quenching water and we can be filled by the Spirit (to overflowing as we remain) and believe in Jesus, who gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. I find Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman, Photine, to be very enlightening as I seek more of JESUS. No wonder I can relate (and most of you, probably do too). It's like "photosynthesis" - we need His Living Water to grow, too; and be filled (chloro-phylled) (lol) and generate oxygen - living, breathing, spirit filled image bearers of Jesus! I certainly want more of His Light!

I find more and more satisfaction in JESUS, especially as I continue with Jesus on this 2023 journey to understand more of the reason this became my One Word; and why Jesus/God/ Spirit would impart this as my Word - was it for me? was it for people that I am still praying for them to accept and receive Jesus? or as I watch people die throughout this year, and in my past, I wonder if they knew Jesus like I've had the privilege to know, love and serve Him, so I will see them in heaven for eternity and not be the ones who perish (John 3:16). Oh, how this weighs so heavily upon my soul; my heart and mind can hardly bear that I've prayed to no avail, or sadly that the way I lived and spoke did not witness to them to want that personal relationship and the free gift of Jesus' salvation - to turn their eyes and life over to Jesus. Some this year (and in the past) have, and I rejoice for them. Then, there are some others, that I am so unsure, but pray for our merciful God, who sees hearts, to forgive and redeem still. Is that possible? I just can't understand how eyes, ears and hearts don't accept and receive such a beautiful gift, nor why their souls don't thirst for Jesus. 

James Merritt begins this section of Jesus, the Helper - with the Thirst Quencher and what caught my eye and attention was the very first segment, because it is part of my blog title (...Messes...) and has been throughout my life "Messy Mess Ups". How can my 'messes' be any part of having my thirst quenched? I surely know why I need(ed) Jesus, the Helper, any and every time I was in a mess. Often, when I did not seek Jesus first or at all, and attempted to resolve my mess - it just became messier. My, oh, my, do I regret not having sought my Helper or looking for His Help before I ended up in yet another colossal MESS! Do you notice how one mess just seems to snowball into yet another until you're too deep into the mess? I surely have. Of course, it was mostly because I did not go to the Word & Jesus - in prayer and seeking His Help. For some, it may be pride ... for others, just plain stupidity and even for some of us, it's a deep seated rebellion inside of us. But frankly, whichever or whatever, it is just plain SIN. Many use the word "mistake" or wrong choice, poor decision or MESSES, but whatever you call it - it's a mess and its root is in sin "making a (moral or lack of) decision or living (continuing in) a lifestyle that violates the law of God. It's just plain acting selfishly and not at all what God's will is. It shows up in the Bible as iniquity (mischief, wickedness, evil, trouble, wrong, error, fraud, crime, lawlessness). For me, sin is sin and separates us from God. 

We most certainly have been getting a real dose of all of this in the last few years and it seems to be increasing at a rapid rate daily. It's alarming. And this MESS just keeps getting to be insurmountable! Bombarding us from all sides. Perhaps you are fortunate (and live like an ostrich with your head in the sand, hoping it will just go away) because you have escaped being impacted or personally involved. The news is not of interest until it affects or impacts you personally. Perhaps you don't care about the people (believers) of Ukraine and the senseless invasion of their country by another, and the endless devastation of their people and territory, continuous destruction all around them, yet they continue to fight for freedom (and so should we, or else it will soon be knocking at our own door). This certainly is a bigger MESS but our own messes become tangled into this by our actions or reactions and whether we stand up as followers of Christ (I dare not even use the word Christian) and open our hearts of compassion as JESUS would. We cannot just live in our own little world, cut off from ALL that is happening. MESSES don't just go away! 

{This is my own personal view and not at all what James Merritt writes about in this segment. If you have been reading these, you'll recall that each devotional is divided into 5 segments with separate subtitles. It's the 1st one that inspired me and caught my attention with the Messes}  

40.The Thirst Quencher : "Messy Mess Ups"; "We Should Know that Jesus is Waiting to Meet Us"; "Someone Wants to Meet You"; "We Should Believe that Jesus is Willing to Accept Us"; "We Should Rejoice that Jesus Wants to Change Us"

I know that I know people are not coming to JESUS and seeking their thirst to be quenched by His Spirit; another counterpart seems to be on the rise - that is self-seeking, selfish, and self-determined for their way above all else - for more evil and less good. More greed and bullying of others, and less compassion and justice seeking for others, only for themselves. Truly, my heart aches for our world (the people on the fringe)... for the many who are literally thirsting, but also for those who have no idea that they need The Thirst Quencher to saturate their being and pour out more of JESUS by the power of His Holy Spirit. "Just because you have messed up doesn't mean you have to stayed messed up"(James Merritt)

"This woman's encounter (the woman at the well) with Jesus, not only demonstrates how we should relate to people who are on the fringe, but also it's a wonderful gift for all of us who have messed up at one time or another. What we discover from this woman who doesn't deny her messy past is that as we fess-up to our mess-ups, Jesus will clean up our messes." James Merritt

Too many need to fess-up (CONFESS) and surrender to Jesus!
What a difference it would make if more people would admit their BIG mistakes
REPENT(means to change their ways)
andRETURNtoJesus(or come to Him)
REALIZE[as the rest of the segments of #40 point out]
that
JESUSis waiting to meet us
JESUSis willing to accept us{so why not try accepting Jesus}
and
we really shouldREJOICEthatJESUSwants to change us
sohow 'bout it?
I know I can use all the help I can get to change.
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Let's make this UNITED effort to 
RISE UP
and
RENEW
our lifestyle and steps to
REFLECT
JESUS!
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The Woman at the Well became the first Evangelist to her
COMMUNITY
"By approaching her, JESUS demonstrates His care for ALL,regardless of their social standing."
She is the first disciple thatRECOGNIZEDJESUSas the promisedMessiah
andthere isONLY ONE
JESUS
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I found some really good You Version reading plans on Thirst(y):
THIRST: The Story of SAMARITAN WOMAN(would fit with this one the best) 5 day plan

"THIRST is there more?"5 day plan
"Becoming Thirsty"

6 day plan

There are a couple more on "Hunger & Thirst" too.
Many pages with plans for 
Jesus, my Helper
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 Then I went to look for more on "Quench" and there was quite a list.
My choices may not be yours so I just linked to the search,
The ones that say "Be Still" are very similar to the P31 OBS
with Wendy Blight on "Rest for Your Soul" (the book is so good)!
I saved the one of 22 days of "BE STILL" (and did a few others){apparently I need lots more practice in this "being still"}
I like this: "Make SPACE for God to speak to you."
Search my heartPursue His Presencestay AttentiveClear your mindEnjoy His Presence
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UPDATE: (after posting)

I do like each one of the weeks of #40-44, but since I chose to write on Thirst Quencher and not the others (yet), I held back from doing another blog post when I began week (#41) Most Valuable Treasure. Then I looked ahead again at the rest, thinking I should do one each week but that's exactly what I hoped to get away from doing - however, when I saw (read) Our Best Friend (#44) who is Always Available, Always Accessible(#43) {it's a difficult decision} and with the daily news intensifying over Israel & the Palestinians, I have been crying out to our Gracious Judge (#42) realizing how important these weeks are - as we seek more of JESUS, our HELPER, and just how much our world is in need of the HELPER, found in our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit, I am most thankful that October is ALL about JESUS!

And so I am making

S.P.A.C.E.

for

JESUS

ONLY