These guys I know were telling me about this challenge that is going around when you try to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon. Have you heard about this? I guess you're supposed to put the whole thing in your mouth and see if you can swallow it, but its impossible. No one has been able to do it. When you put it in your mouth, immediately it sucks out all the moisture and you either cough, sneeze, choke or expectorate the cinnamon.
Sounds like the some good college fun.
Last night in the middle of the night, that was the image that came to my mind when I woke up, on my back, breathing through my mouth. I can't even begin to explain to you how dry my mouth felt last night. It literally felt like my tongue was a sweat sock, the sides of my mouth were coated with sand, and someone was blowing a hot hair dryer in my mouth.
Before I went to bed last night I distinctly remember saying to my wife that I hadn't drank enough water yesterday. I think it was true. Prudently, I had strategically placed a glass of water next to my bed, in case I woke in the middle of my slumber and needed to quench my thirst.
I cannot begin to explain to you how wonderful it felt to pour that water into my mouth in the middle of the night. It wasn't cold, there wasn't any ice. It was just room temperature water, but it was so so refreshing. It was glorious. "praise God" I said in the darkness of my bedroom. I didn't even have to get out of bed.
As I fumbled in the dark, found that glass and began to drink it I though- there is nothing as satisfying to drink when you're thirsty besides water. Sure, there are other things to drink, but nothing hydrates or fulfills the need for satisfaction like water. Yes Gatorade is good for you. Yes ice cold Coca Cola in a bottle is amazing. But nothing in this world is better for a dehydrated person that good clean water. That's the way God created us. When we're thirsty, we need water.
Jesus talked about thirsty people and said - "but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
What he was saying was that we get thirsty, so we drink water. After that, we become thirsty again, and must drink water again. Its a cycle of life. We need water to live and if we don't get water we die. He uses that analogy to say that spiritually, the water we get from Jesus (which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit) will never ever make us thirsty again. He was saying in a roundabout way that people look for the wrong things in their life to satisfy their spiritual needs.
Did you get that? If we are thirsty physically, we need water. If we are thirsty spiritually we need the Holy Spirit. Those are the only two things in this world that can quench a physical and spiritual thirst. Water and the Holy Spirit.
Have you been drinking the wrong liquid? Have you been trying to satisfy your thirst in the wrong way? Perhaps what you have been using to try to satisfy the thirsts in your life aren't satisfying. Maybe you're drinking spiritual sand instead of the spring of eternal life.
Today, do these two things- drink water and pray to receive the Holy Spirit in your life. Water will satisfy your physical thirst and the Holy Spirit will satisfy your spiritual thirst.
That way, you wont have sweat sock mouth like I did, and you'll get some eternal life too.
be blessed
pastor matt
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