"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life." (John 4:13-14 NCV)
Like the woman at the well, we recognize our need for living water. We need moisture, a swallow of water, a long, quenching drink. But where do we find water for the soul?
In this renewing and life-giving program, Max Lucado leads us to the four essential nutrients needed by every soul.
Come Thirsty DVDs (978-1-4185-3389-2) sold separately.
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life." (John 4:13-14 NCV)
Like the woman at the well, we recognize our need for living water. We need moisture, a swallow of water, a long, quenching drink. But where do we find water for the soul?
In this renewing and life-giving program, Max Lucado leads us to the four essential nutrients needed by every soul.
Come Thirsty DVDs (978-1-4185-3389-2) sold separately.
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Overview
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life." (John 4:13-14 NCV)
Like the woman at the well, we recognize our need for living water. We need moisture, a swallow of water, a long, quenching drink. But where do we find water for the soul?
In this renewing and life-giving program, Max Lucado leads us to the four essential nutrients needed by every soul.
Come Thirsty DVDs (978-1-4185-3389-2) sold separately.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781418533908 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperChristian Resources |
| Publication date: | 07/13/2008 |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d) |
About the Author
Visit his website at Max Lucado.com
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Read an Excerpt
COME THIRSTY PARTICIPANT'S GUIDE
RECEIVE WHAT YOUR SOUL LONGS FORBy Max Lucado
Thomas Nelson
Copyright © 2008 Max LucadoAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4185-3390-8
Chapter One
Week 1THIRSTING AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. -Matthew 5:6 NKJV
READ
Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 at home this week.
As you read through Meagan's story, it will sound strangely familiar. As this introduction unfolds, we discover a young woman who is thirsting for something real. And in Chapter 1 we discover that unless we are drinking deeply at the well of God's supply, our hearts become dehydrated-dry, depleted, parched, and weak.
REFLECT
Answer the questions in this section at home before your group discussion.
Meagan is used to the whispers, the looks, the lines. She's heard it all and done it all, and she's tired. Weary. Worn out. She needs some relief from the constant "doing" without any "accomplishing." She needs a savior. And in walks Jesse, the quiet counselor from Alabama who pricks a nerve and gets her thinking that maybe there's more to life than what she has.
* In thismodern-day version of the story of the woman at the well (see John 4), we gain a new understanding of what that Samaritan woman would have been like, and the significance of Jesus' reaching out to her to change her life. What new thing did this story reveal to you? * Where do you think the story goes from here? How does Meagan's life change as a result of her meeting Jesse? Do other lives change as well?
One crisp October morning in Jerusalem people had packed the streets, sleeping in tents and reenacting the rock-giving-water miracle of Moses. As the priests circled the altar seven times, pouring the symbolic liquid out, Jesus, the rustic rabbi from the northlands, stood up and called out. This was not a polite clearing of the throat; it was an attention-getting scream. "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink" (John 7:37 NKJV).
* Explore the significance of this action on Jesus' part. Look at it in context of the other discussions he's had about his divinity with the disciples. Have you recognized the importance of this declaration before?
What water can do for your body, Jesus can do for your heart. Water is a symbolic theme throughout the Scriptures. Ponder the importance of [H.sub.2]O and its connection to the person of Jesus Christ and his lifesaving sacrifice on the cross. Consider the brown, tepid water lying stagnant in Hezekiah's well versus the constantly fresh, crystal-clear water flowing from the well of life. Start by looking up these verses and writing a sentence or two with your thoughts.
Genesis 1:2
Exodus 14
1 Kings 18:30-39
Psalm 23:2
Mark 1:9-11
Matthew 14:22-33
DISCUSS
Engage in conversation about these questions within your small group.
Your Maker has wired you with thirst-a "low fluid indicator." let your fluid level grow low, and watch the signals flare. Dry mouth. Thick tongue. Achy head. Weak knees. Deprive your body of necessary fluid, and your body will tell you.
* How does your body let you know you're running low on water, food, energy, and so forth?
Deprive your soul of spiritual water, and your soul will tell you. Dehydrated hearts send desperate messages. Snarling tempers. Waves of worry. Growling mastodons of guilt and fear. Hopelessness. Sleeplessness. Loneliness. Resentment. Irritability. Insecurity. These are warnings. Symptoms of a dryness deep within.
* How does your spirit let you know you're running low on God?
* Today, does your heart feel dried up? Shriveled? Dehydrated?
Meagan's story is a modern-day translation of the woman at the well's story. Jesus (or Jesse) came to offer life-giving water: himself. And the woman, Meagan, though jaded and rough around the edges, softens in his presence and accepts the powerful gift, remarkably without skepticism.
* What did you think of this retelling? Did it shed new light on a classic story for you? What similarities or differences from your own life stood out to you?
When we're running low on Jesus, our spirits let us know. Do you listen? Or do you ignore the warnings? Don't let your heart shrink into a raisin. Drink good water. Not everything you put your lips to will satisfy your thirst. The arms of a forbidden love can only satisfy you for a brief time. Eight-hour workweeks grant a sense of fulfillment, but never remove the thirst.
* So, where do you find water for your soul?
Do you feel as though you have rivers of living water flowing from your heart?
Like water, Jesus goes where we can't. He seeps into the cracks of our lives, hydrating and "aquifying" our hearts. And, thankfully, we don't have to give him directions-just as we don't instruct water as it makes its way through our system. But so often we are tempted to instruct God on how he is to help us, nurture us, restore us. We tell him what we think we need.
* How do you find yourself instructing Jesus in your life?
* Discuss the difference between giving Jesus permission to work in your spirit and telling him what you think you need.
"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." Literally, this is translated, "Let him come to me and keep drinking." One bottle won't satisfy. Ceaseless communion satisfies thirsty souls.
* Do you go to the well often? Or do you try to get by with drops from shallow puddles? (What would be an example of the "well" or "shallow puddles" in your life?)
How do you engage in ceaseless communion? Why is this important?
WRAP UP
In the week ahead, return to the Prayer of the Thirsty (page xv) at least once a day. Set a time to commune with God intimately. Pray these words and meditate on their meaning in your real, day-to-day life. Journal in the space provided, and track any changes you notice in your spiritual energy level.
This Week's Prayer Requests
_________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
MEMORY VERSE
Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." - John 7:37-38 NKJV
Week 2
GRACE BlOCKERS
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. -Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
READ
Read Chapters 2-5 this week.
This section of the book addresses the W in WELL-God's work on the cross and in Jesus' resurrection. Chapter 2, "Sin vaccination," shows us that we are all born with a terminal disease; we are hopelessly infected by sin. See how God made a way for us to live disease free. Chapter 3, "When Grace Goes Deep," discusses grace as a gift of God. Take a look at what happens when you try to put conditions on the grace of God. Grace is what defines us. Chapter 4, "When Death Becomes Birth," warns us against allowing the dread of death to take away the joy of living. And Chapter 5, "With Heart Headed Home," tells us we live caught between what is and what will be. Our hearts are longing for heaven, and every day that passes brings us closer to home.
REFLECT
Answer the questions in this section at home before your group discussion.
The godless lead a me-dominated, childish life, a life of "doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it" (Eph. 2:3 MSG). Take a look through Scripture and study me versus we in the Bible. Many people have fallen from great heights because of I-read their stories and write a sentence or two about the turning point toward self-centeredness in their lives.
Eve (Gen. 3)
David (2 Sam. 11)
Judas (Matt. 26:14-16)
Moses (Num. 20:6-12)
When our lives are wrecked by sin, we have only one salvation: Jesus. Not Muhammed or Moses or Buddha. What uniquely qualifies Jesus to safeguard the sin-sick (see 2 Cor. 5:21)?
Spend some time thinking about the different ways grace defines who you are. Reflect on Ephesians 2:4-9 for additional insight.
DISCUSS
Engage in conversation about these questions within your small group.
The sinful mind dismisses God. His counsel goes unconsulted. His opinion, unsolicited. His plan, unconsidered. The sin-infected grant God the same respect middle-schoolers give a substitute teacher-acknowledged, but not taken seriously. We pay a high price for such self-obsession. "God isn't pleased at being ignored" (Rom. 8:8 MSG).
* What is your image of God?
Just as flea-infested rats carried the bubonic plague through the villages of Europe, killing twenty-five million people, sin is a contagion that destroys souls.
* Discuss how our sins as individuals are as contagious as physical diseases. How do our actions affect and infect the people around us?
In the parable of the gracious father and the hostile brother (better known to us as "the parable of the prodigal son") we see the heavy burden of legalism. The older brother resolves to rain on the forgiveness parade. But for the little brother there are too many tasks. Keeping the robe spotless, the ring positioned, the sandals snug-who could meet such standards? Gift preservation begins to wear on the young man.
* How does gift preservation wear on you in your life? Be specific about the rules you feel compelled to follow.
* Do you expect there to be a "catch" to God's grace?
Grace-blockage runs rampant in our faith communities. In our hearts we feel that the Father may have let us in the gate, but we have to earn our places at the table. Or that God has made the down payment on our redemption, but we have to pay the monthly installments. But what good is grace if we cut it short, refuse to let it go deep? Deeply flowing grace clarifies, once and for all, who we are.
* How does God's grace define you?
* If you feel that God's grace does not define you, what then is your "label"?
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (NKJV).
* Discuss the freedom that comes from living in God's grace.
Solomon tell us that "the day you die is better than the day you are born" (Eccles. 7:1 NLT). This is certainly not the mind-set most of us have here on earth, yet in this portion of the book, heaven is described as a maternity ward with grandparents monitoring delivery-room doors.
* What is your idea of death and the afterlife? Do you think of it with positively glowing emotions or with fear and dread? Or do you simply ignore the uncertain future?
* Is your fear of dying robbing you of the joy of living?
"But we are citizens of heaven, where the lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior" (Phil. 3:20 NLT). We read about the story of Lazarus in this section, and his submission to return to earth and live out his days in a vibrant demonstration of Jesus' lordship. He was enjoying the fruits of perfection in heaven, yet he came again to the fallen earth to serve his Master.
* What do you imagine the effect of Lazarus's return to earth was on his friends and family?
We've grown accustomed to the hard bunks and tin plates of an orphan in this world. Seldom do we peer over the fence into the world to come. It's been ages since we've shown someone our pictures of the adoptive Father coming to take us home. But the Scriptures tells us, "Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it" (1 Peter 2:11 MSG).
How have you made yourself cozy here in this life?
What do you need to do to keep your heart headed toward home?
So how do we take regular ladle dips from the well of God's return? "let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth" (Col. 3:2 NLT). But what does that mean for us in "real life"?
* Discuss practical ways you can live like Carinette, the adopted orphan, and let your home-to-be dominate your thoughts.
WRAP UP
This week as you walk through life, pay attention to the grace blockers in your journey. And consider: are you placing grace blocks on yourself or others? Identify them. Then come to the well and take a long drink.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from COME THIRSTY PARTICIPANT'S GUIDE by Max Lucado Copyright © 2008 by Max Lucado. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Come Thirsty Reading Plan....................xiThe Prayer of the Thirsty....................xv
Introduction....................xvii
Week 1: Thirsting after Righteousness....................21
Week 2: Grace Blockers....................39
Week 3: Redefining Prayer....................55
Week 4: Choosing Peace....................77
Week 5: Abiding in God's love....................95
Week 6: If God Wrote You a letter....................111