You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘living water’ tag.
The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58:11
Last spring we planted several trees in our yard. Unfortunately we had one of the driest summers on record. For the health and safety of our new trees, I watered them frequently to give them the best chance of survival.
One of the things I noticed after a few days was the green spots in our yard, around our new trees. While the rest of the yard was dry and brown, the area around the new trees was green because they benefitted from the water provided to the trees.
Life can be like that. The world around us can be dry with little growth, but if we put our roots deep down into the living water of Jesus we can be an oasis in the dryness of this world. A kind word, a smile, undeserved forgiveness, mercy, grace. All these can act as an oasis in the wilderness to those who are thirsty.
The deeper you grow in the living water of Jesus, the more you will be able to withstand the dryness of the wilderness and become an oasis to those who are thirsty.
If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person’s heart, as the Scripture says.” John 7:38 (NCV)
Water is an amazing thing when you think about it. It’s springtime in the Midwestern USA. Although we look forward to spring and the end of winter, springtime brings some ominous partners with it. The Red River of the North flows north along the western edge of Minnesota and into Canada.
I remember going to Fargo ND for a conference one October. During a break I decided to drive to a park and walk along this mighty river I’d heard so much about. Every spring the Red River overflows its banks, sometimes with disastrous results. I have to admit I was somewhat surprised by what I saw. The river was much smaller than I expected. It was hard to imagine how this rather small river could cause so much havoc. However, the banks can only hold so much water and then it must find other ways to go. Stagnant water doesn’t offer much concern, but moving water; living water can not be stopped!
One day, Jesus was teaching in the temple. He told the people that if ‘anyone was thirsty, they should come to him.’ He wasn’t talking about physical thirst. He was talking about that thirst that parches our very soul. You know the kind. It’s like those times when you are very thirsty physically and can’t seem to get enough liquid in you to quench the thirst. The emptiness and the dryness leaves you longing for more.
Jesus promises us that if we follow him and his ways; if we confess our sins and change our lifestyle, he will quench that deep thirst of our souls. He is the ‘drink’ that satisfies.
But Jesus goes further. Not only will the water he gives satisfy our souls, it will overflow like a river that has overflowed its banks. Nothing will stop its progress. Everyone will take notice of it! The only difference is that this river that flows out of us is a river of life, not destruction; a river of forgiveness, not judgment; a river of righteousness, not selfishness.
As followers of Jesus Christ we are given living water that flows through us for the benefit of others. So, what kind of river are you today? Are you stagnant and seeking refreshment? Seek Jesus. Are you allowing the living water to flow through you and into the life of at least one other person? May we all be like the Red River of the North. May our lives overflow, not with water, but with the love of Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus I lift up those who are struggling with the unquenchable thirst of their souls. May they find refreshment in you. I pray for us as your followers. May the river of your grace overflow our ability to contain it for the benefit of others. In your name I pray, Amen.
But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:14 (NLT)
Water amazes me. It can seep through the smallest of cracks in the ground or even through the hardest granite. When it freezes it can break anything that tries to contain it. It beings life to the cracked, parched ground and sustains life on all level.
Water satisfies. Why else would people sit for hours to watch the ocean or a waterfall, or a fountain? It symbolizes freshness, beauty and power. It fosters hope to those who are struggling to survive, or destroys everything in its path. We can harness it to give us power, but we can never contain it.
Is it any wonder that Jesus uses the analogy of water when he refers to the life he has given us through his Spirit? Is it any surprise that water symbolizes the grace he gave us through the cross?
This water, this life he has given us isn’t a stagnant pool, it’s a fountain. It’s not able to be contained, nor should it be hidden from view. It isn’t a flood or a tsunami causing destruction in its path, but a spring bubbling up, unable to be contained, evident to all and sought by those in struggles.
When people are in the wilderness they seek water. When people are in the depths of despair they seek relief. The ‘water’ that Jesus gives them is satisfying, refreshing and life-giving.
As Christ-follower we are the aqueduct bringing life to those in need of a savior. We are the ones Christ has chosen to bring all the benefits of water to those in need. Let your water flow. Let it burst forth to those in need of love, forgiveness, life. Let everything in your past be affected in some way by the ‘water’ of Jesus’ love. The gospel of Jesus Christ is never stagnant, always fresh and powerful!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for the new life you give us through your grace. May the life-giving water of your Spirit flow through me to affect change in those in need of you. Amen.
Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. Psalm 6:2 (NLT)
I love plants, but I am not even close to what some may call a person with ‘a green thumb.’ In reality, if my plants could talk they’d probably describe me using the words ‘abusive’ or ‘neglectful’. Not intentionally of course, but the plants I have sit silently every day and quite often go unnoticed until their leaves droop. When that finally catches my attention I water them and hope they ‘come back’.
The Psalmist describes himself as being weak. That phrase ‘for I am weak’ may be better rendered ‘I am as one who droops’. That phrase gives the word picture of a plant in drought conditions…or a plant in my living room from time to time. The ground beneath it yearns for water. The leaves droop under the stress of trying to grow with no nourishment.
We get that way from time to time, don’t we? For some of us it’s not an occasional thing but a daily condition. The burdens of the day weigh us down. We yearn for even a little respite from the agony of worry, the fear of failure, the shame from poor decisions, and the demands of addiction.
We walk (on the inside) like the little boy I saw in the mall the other day. Obviously done with a long day of shopping and wanting to be carried he drug himself down the hall, arms drooping, head down, staggering under some unseen load, and moaning “I’m tired. Carry me.” (You can add the drama according to where you are today!)
In Old Testament times ‘for my bones are in agony’ didn’t refer to the skeletal system that upholds us. It referred more to the emotional make-up of the person. Not only did David feel like he was drooping under the pressure of the day, the pain went to his very soul. He was tired physically and that fatigue went all the way to the very heart of his being.
Another Old Testament author, Jeremiah, voices a similar plea when he says, “O LORD, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!” (Jeremiah 17:14)
There are times in our lives when we feel like my plant in the corner. We keep doing the things we do, we keep giving, serving and tending to our daily routines, but in the midst of the activity there’s a whole lot more going out than coming in. We can feel unappreciated, unnoticed, neglected or even abused.
That’s when we come to the Father for the refreshment we need from his spirit. Like the woman at the well, we come to the one who promises us water, refreshing water that lives within us to encourage us along the way. His healing is eternal and available regardless of the reason for our stress.
PRAYER: Lord there are times when the stress of my day seems to overwhelm me. Like David, the pain seems to go to my very soul. Heal me with the refreshing water of your Spirit. Help me to find my strength in you when the demands of life seem too great. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 