Living Waters

Jeremiah 2:13

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

               Most of us know of Christ the living waters.  No doubt most of us have came and drank from the wells of salvation.  Quite probably many of us have made our vows to God as Jeremiah 2:20-22 says.  “For of old time I have broken thy yoke, [and] burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, [yet] thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.” 

We have experienced the deliverance and salvation that God has brought into our lives.  We have tasted that He is good and has brought us out of our darkness and bondage into the light of His truth.  The question we must ask ourselves today is, “Have I become like Israel?  Have I lost fear of God and am I playing the spiritual harlot pursuing my own loves, pleasures and interests?  Have I turned aside from the living waters to again drink of the miry waters of wickedness and sin? 

               A cistern is a vessel for storing water.  What are we storing up in our souls?  Have we become cracked pots that can not longer store or hold on to the life of God?  Has sin and selfishness come into our hearts so that the life has leaked out of us?  If so, we have the exhortation to repent and turn again to the living waters of God’s Word and Life or our wickedness will bring judgement upon us.  Jeremiah 2:19 says, “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that [it is] an evil [thing] and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear [is] not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” 

               Where is our heart today?  Do we fear the Lord and approach His throne each day in reverence and prayer?  Is He still the object of our affection and the One we commune with as we go about our daily living?  Do we drink from the wells of salvation daily and renew our strength in Him or is He becoming a byword, a label, an empty symbol of a once held faith and confidence? 

             Father is continually challenging us to check our hearts, our motives and our lives.  He tells us to judge ourselves that we are not judged.  He has given us His Word and Spirit to reprove and correct us, but our hearts must be tender enough to receive correction and turn from evil.  Sin will callous and harden our hearts and we can easily become as Jeremiah says in 2:24, “You are like a wild donkey, sniffing the wind at mating time. Who can restrain her lust? Those who desire her don’t need to search, for she goes running to them!”

 Have we become headstrong, bent on our own way, because we do not want to forsake our sin?  Has pleasure taken us down a wrong path, but we don’t want to turn out of it.  We have to choose this day who we will serve.  The end of sin is always death and the place where our thirst is never quenched. 

               Is it our day to turn back to the Lord with our whole heart, to fear Him and return from our wickedness and self-pursuits?  Father loves you, Christ died for you and you are the object of His affection and desire.  Come back and abide at the wells of salvation and drink again the living water of His grace and mercy.  Repair the cracks and breaches where sin has enter in.  Cover them in repentance and with the blood of Jesus.  His arms are open to the prodigals that have gone away from Him.  Return to Him while there is still time.

Blessings,

#kent

Wells of Salvation

Wells of Salvation

Isaiah 12
AND IN that day you will say, I will give thanks to You, O Lord; for though You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You comfort me.
2Behold, God, my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and song; yes, He has become my salvation.
3Therefore with joy will you draw water from the wells of salvation.
4And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name and by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare and make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted!
5Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done excellent things [gloriously]; let this be made known to all the earth.
6Cry aloud and shout joyfully, you women and inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isn’t it wonderful to have a well of salvation to draw the water of life from? Every day we must go to this well, for from it we draw the life, the direction, the strength and refreshment we need. As we drink deep of the Spirit of Life we are refreshed, filled with joy and thanksgiving. It is at this well we find the anger of the Lord turned away from us and instead we find forgiveness, redemption, healing and hope. As we drink from this well we realize that all things are possible, because the life we drink from is not our own and it knows no limitations, short of our faith to believe and God’s wisdom in how He responds. Faith becomes our bucket by which we draw out this water of life and we find its increase in our sharing it with others. It is with great joy that we draw this water, because we drink from the fountain of eternal life.
The Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon spent his life in pursuit of the fountain of youth. It was in front of him all of the time and he wouldn’t even have had to leave home to find it. He pursued the vanity of the flesh and no matter what we do with the flesh or how we operate on it, it is a corruptible commodity and will pass away. What we can discover and drink from is a well that is so much richer, deeper and more lasting than any fountain of youth or means we may seek to preserve this natural life. As we drink from the well of God’s eternal Word and abide in the Spirit of His life, we have great reason for rejoicing and praise. Our greatest joy can be in sharing this life with others that they also may know the great joy associated with this well.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:10-15 about this living water and this well of salvation. “10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11″Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
13Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”” He is that well of salvation, that eternal source of life, hope and joy. He is our strength, our portion, our deliverer and our very present help in time of need.
Every day that I come to write I take a drink and ask to able to share some aspect of this water with others so that they also might be strengthened, encouraged, refreshed and partakers in this life. The Lord spoke to the woman at the well that in drinking from this you will never thirst for another. As we drink of Him we become His well spring. Out of God’s people is the issues of life as we share with others what we ourselves have found and rejoice in.
Take your bucket of faith and continue to draw and drink deep from this well, but then share the joy of the well of salvation with others that they also may know this great joy and likewise become partakers of so great a salvation. You will be amazed at what God can bring up out of your life as you drink of Him and depend upon Him to be your source and well spring of life.

Blessings,
#kent