A Thirst, A Passion, For Christ Alone ~

Trials by fire, have a way of stripping everything away that distracts us from God Himself, so we can see more clearly, what is truly important! The more He strips away, the more, clearly, we see Him ~ we realize, it's no longer what the Lord has for us or what He can do for us that we long for or are pursuing anymore ~ but it's He, Himself, we desire! He alone, can become our sole (soul) longing! He brings us to a place of realizing that if we lost everything, as long as we had Him, we could go on! Our eyes fixed on Him, alone, is a worthy pursuit!

This is a constant struggle, because we are only human ~ Paul struggled too!

In Romans 7:15 he says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do; but what I hate, I do."

We are still a work in progress! We can recognize what we can't do, admit our weakness before the Lord and look to Him to do it in us! We cry out to Him daily, asking for His help, to cause us to put Him first ~ to give us the passion, the longing for His presence, each new day ~ and then watch Him work it in us!

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1

"O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63:1-4, 7

"As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."Psalm 42:1-2

"How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young ~ a place near Your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed (happy) are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You.  Blessed (happy) are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage. Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." Psalm 84:1-5, 10

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."Psalm 27:4

"I spread out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land." Psalm 143:6

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty Rock, my Refuge."Psalm 62:5-8

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Matthew 13:4

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My heart and flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

We have to ask ourselves: Where does God fall in our schedule? First or last? How strong is our desire for Him? Is He all we want or is there a list of things we desire more? What does our mind dwell on?These are hard questions, but if they cause us to put Him in His rightful place, they are worth asking! I, like You, must seek Him for the change, I cannot bring in myself. May God bless You, as you seek to thirst for Him more, as you ask for a deeper longing for Him to be placed in your heart!

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee: I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still."
~ A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit Of God (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1982).