Sunday 20th November
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. ’’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
When you see destructive behavior in people’s lives, recognize that it is the expression of their thirst for God!
This is an important part of developing a ministry mindset in your encounters with people. Without this perspective, you will only be able to see their destructive behavior. You’ll think, “What an idiot! Can’t they see how this is impacting the people around them? Can’t they see that they are only hurting themselves?” You might be angry with them or you might pity them.
But remember that God has made them for himself and so they are desperately trying to fill the inner place that only he can fill. This understanding lets you see that their behavior is really a cry for God, whether they understand that or not. Moving out from this understanding, you are able to interact with them with a ministry mindset, rather than simply reacting to them out of judgment or retaliation.
Write the name of someone you know whose behavior is sometimes destructive: ______________________. How is it really an expression of their thirst for God?
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