Daily Devotional – 3/27/13 “Last sayings on the cross – Day 3”

I know that today is Day 3 of the last sayings but I’ve chosen today, “I’m thirsty,” John 19:28. Now because Jesus was being crucified and mocked they bought Him a sponge soaked in sour wine. Can you imagine drinking sour wine after all the things that Jesus has been through? It’s like you helping a friend move into their home all day and after hours of working you asks for something to drink and they hand you a glass of vinegar. What would you say? Now, if you would, imagine for a moment someone asking you for help and you turning your back. Imagine someone being hungry and you refusing to feed them even though you’re able too. Imagine saying no to the person asking for change outside the store because you feel like they should get their own. But what if it was you? What if it was you crying “I’m thirsty,” but instead of getting water you got sour wine, a flat soda or unsweetened kool-aid? Oh, but you’re probably thinking that it won’t be, right? Chile, things change in a blink of an eye and today you could be living in your warm home and tomorrow you could be searching for a bed in a homeless shelter. Today you could have your choice of what to eat and tonight you could be eating hospital food. This morning you could be driving your own car and tomorrow catching the bus. All, I’m saying is if someone is thirsty, give them a drink. If someone is hungry, feed them. If someone is in need of clothes, clothe them. If someone needs, help them. Don’t you know the bible says in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you?” This says give and it will be given back in the same measure in which you put it out. So, if you give hell out, you shall receive hell back but if you give out help then help is returned. If you give out messy and miserable mess, then you get back messy miserable mess but if you give out God’s message then you get back His mercy multiplied for your making. Yea, if all you’ve got to give is gossip, lies, judgment, criticism, you won’t be nothing sayings, finger pointing, hateful looks, backstabbing hugs, a hand to push me down, a kick to make me stumble, a laugh when you know I’m down, pain, misuse and abuse then you keep it and let me stay thirsty because I know a Man that says in John 4:14, “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Yea, if your water is tainted with mean, nasty, hateful and good for nothings then you keep it and let me stay thirsty because Jesus says in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Oh, if all you got to give me is more hell to add to what I sometimes get, more obstacles to go over, more scars to cover up or more cracks in the heart I’m trying to mend then you keep it and let me thirst because I know a Man that says in Jeremiah 31:25, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”