Make a Difference

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”- Psalm 42:1 

          This is a Psalm written by King David. It speaks of a time when he was in flight from his own son Absalom, who had rebelled against him. David had been forced to flee Jerusalem and is on the run. In his running he reveals his deep, abiding desire to be in the Lord’s presence. David, in the very first verse, is painting a mental picture of a deer panting after streams of water to quench its thirst. Perhaps the deer is fleeing hunters, as David was. Perhaps that is the reason this illustration was used.

          When an individual gives their life to Christ, something happens within them. Their spirit is activated, their soul is reborn, and their heart is jump started. They have new life. According to scripture, they are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old has gone, the new is here. We are like newborn babies who are, spiritually speaking, starting a new life. We have new things to learn. We begin to see things through spiritual eyes. We start to understand the things of God that were hidden from us before. To begin to grow spiritually, we must pant after God as a thirsty deer pants for streams of water. It is only through the seeking after God that our spirit will grow. We will shrivel up and die spiritually if we don’t search His word for replenishment. Avoid fellowship through attending a solid, bible-based, Christ centered, preaching and teaching church and we will eventually dry up spiritually. To make a difference with this new life we have been given, we need to cultivate our walk with Christ just as we would cultivate a garden. 

Water is a life force. Water is one of the main staples of life along with bread. We must feed our spirit regularly to become all we can be for God. We haven’t been redeemed to simply kick back and relax our way through life as if nothing has happened to us. We’ve been given a second chance. We need to learn all about the One who gave us that chance. Our slate has been washed clean by the blood of Christ. We must dig deep into the Lord, as if everything depended on it. God is waiting for us to make a difference in our own personal life. Embrace the challenge, drink deep from the spring of living water and go make a difference. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries