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| Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels |
Dear Friends,
Nurses recently
told both Bill and me that we were dehydrated. They had a tough time inserting needles into our veins to establish intravenous
connections. They urged us to drink more water so that the volume of blood in
our veins would make things easier for them.
Bill and I had no idea we were dehydrated. We simply drank water when we
became thirsty--but that was not often enough.
Just as we become
physically dehydrated, we may become spiritually dehydrated. And just as Bill and I did not realize we were physically dehydrated, we may also miss
symptoms of spiritual dehydration. We may feel perfectly normal, going about
business as usual.
Here are three signs of
spiritual dehydration:
A lack of interest in
worship. You no longer attend church. You give little thought to praising God
for who He is, to thanking Him for his daily grace. You really don’t feel a
need to connect with other Christians. You have a nice group of friends with
whom you have fun and conversation.
A lack of interest in
working for the Lord. Perhaps you’ve never discovered your spiritual gifts. Or
you may have little interest in using the gifts you know you have. Service for
God becomes something to do if you have nothing else to do.
A lack of interest in
witnessing for God. Perhaps you no longer think about talking about God in
conversation. You’ve grown careless in your use of God’s name and you laugh at jokes
told at someone else’s expense. You’ve forgotten your responsibility to live
responsibly before God.
I’ve taken steps to keep
my body physically hydrated. Each morning I fill a pitcher with water and try
to drink all of it each day. And you know what? The more I’ve started drinking,
the more often I get thirsty.
Jesus told the Samaritan
woman at the well that she needed to be spiritually hydrated: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 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.” John 4:13-14
Here are four things you
can do to be sure you’re spiritually hydrated during the Christmas season:
Drink the living water by
coming to Jesus and worshipping him on a Sunday morning with like-minded
Christians. They will inspire you. The words of hymns and choruses will fix
your mind on Christ, and you will become aware of him walking with you in the
week ahead.
Drink the living water by
making room in your schedule to read your Bible and pray. Set aside time that
you keep just as surely as you brush your teeth. Find a Christmas devotional
book to read. Each Christmas season I read Joni Eareckson’s A Christmas Longing.
Drink the living water by
looking for opportunities to say a good word for God, even if it’s just saying
“God bless you” when someone sneezes. If someone shares a problem, pray with
them. Send cards that remind people Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus.
Include a tract that explains your faith. Take Christmas cookies to a shut in.
Drink the living water by
enjoying God’s creation. Nothing is more refreshing than a walk in a woods or a
meadow, pausing to listen to the birds, to ponder a
snowflake. Feed the birds in your backyard, and thank God for their resiliency
in cold weather.
There is no better time
than the Christmas season to refresh yourself with living water. Meditate on
the words of Christmas carols. Let Christmas lights remind you of the Light of
the World. Throw some change in those red buckets. And rest assured the living
water will flow through you to refresh others as well.
Have a blessed Christmas season. And feel free to leave a comment to share how you refresh yourself spiritually during the busy Christmas season.
Shirley
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