Words from the Lord are in red italics.
Imagine waking up and being stranded in the desert with nothing but sand, sun, and the sky in sight.
On your person you have a bottle of water, a backpack with your bible, a watch, and your wallet.
It’s early in the morning but the sun is extremely hot, so you pick a direction and start walking.
Hours go by, and your water supply is getting low.
More hours go by, and you stop. You only have a sip of water left and think, “Do I need really need all this stuff?
You shed everything but your wallet and your clothes, and take your last sip.
Another hour goes by and you can barely walk.
You’ve never experienced thirst like this before.
Just as your body is about to collapse on the hot sand, you see a traveler coming toward you from the distance. Hopeful for a rescue, you muster some energy and quicken your pace.
“Friend,” shouts the traveler as he gets close, “come and get some water.”
Now in front of you, the traveler says, “You need my water, or else you will surely die. But there are some things that I require from you, and I will give you as much water and provision as you need to get home safely.”
You manage to get out a raspy whisper of sound, “What are they?”
The traveler responds, “I require everything, everything you have and could hope for. I require that you become my bondservant. You will need to devote yourself to me and act in obedience to the words I say for the rest of your life. If you do this, you will be well-treated and provided for.
Bondservant for life? That's a steep price.
What would you do? You have a family, friends, a good-paying job, a house, wealth, savings, a position at a church, and a comfortable life.
Would you rather die in the desert or take his offer?
What are these things to you if you forfeit your life?
This scenario seems unimaginable, but in fact, it is a portrait of what each and every person faces in life.
The reality is, your life is in the desert.
Christ is the traveler, and death to your earthly body isn’t what’s on the line; it’s eternal death.
Or it's eternal life in God’s glory.
You are thirsty. Every sip of water that sustains you is Christ, for He is the living water that restores your soul. No matter how blessed you believe you are, you have nothing without Christ.
He is waiting for you at the cross.
That's where He is, that's how you come into His presence. Only by abating the flesh and living through Him can you actually experience life.
Christ paid for your life with His death and His blood.
You are bought and paid for and are therefore His bondservant. He requires death to your self; death to your ways and complete devotion to His ways.
This is a call to action.
Do not squander your life and forfeit your eternity.
Christ demands all of you.
What must you do?
The place to start is to separate yourself from the world, repent, avoid sin at all cost, start listening to Him in spirit, and then act in obedience.
Christ must be the first and last of your day.
When the Holy Spirit surrounds you, you are surrounded with God's glory as the Spirit is of His glory. Glory remains which is the peace you feel and the beginning of your path to righteousness. Now seek Me and give up your ways of sin, pursue the light and seek no evil; numbered are your days.
There is no other way out of the desert.