Jesus: The Living Water
Since my
last blog post, I haven't felt much inspiration or direction for a new post.
Last evening, though, after watching some very interesting episodes of
"How Its Made" on the Science Channel, at 9 o'clock P.M., I felt I
should change channels and watch "Praise the Lord" on TBN. Sid Roth
was hosting the program. The main themes echoed by the guests were the power of
the anointing, restoration, and supernatural provision. So I started this late
Thursday night and am completing it this chilly afternoon .... and it is
raining!
One of the
guests even spoke of the power of the anointing being most effective and
powerful as we rest in the Lord (like a Sabbath rest) by ceasing our striving.
This complemented and confirmed the theme of my Labor Day blog post! In fact, several times since writing that blog
post, I have heard other ministers and speakers mention several things very
similar to what the Holy Spirit inspired me to write that day. I just can't
help but get excited when that happens! God is so good and always confirms His
Word to us. (II Corinthians 13:1).
When we
talk or think about the anointing, restoration, and provision, our source is
the Lord. Many places throughout scripture, we see Jesus referred to as the
Living Water. We see reference to the Living Water first in the Old Testament. God
speaks to Jeremiah and tells him to speak these words to the people:
My people have committed
two sins: They have forsaken me, the Spring of Living Water, and have dug their
own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Jeremiah 2:13, NIV.
Then in Jeremiah 17:13, we read these words:
Lord, you are the hope
of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from
you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the Spring
of Living Water.
Living
Water! What a huge concept! What depth of resonance! To have access to
life-giving power and yet turn away and dismiss it as if it meant nothing,
especially after all that Israel had witnessed God do on their behalf over the
years plus the wealth of eye-witness testimonies that had been passed down
through the generations! And, yet, do we
not have the same tendency as Israel - to do the same thing, thinking that our
own way is better, that we can do it all by ourselves, that we really don't
need God, except in an emergency, or when we can't figure it out on our own.
As
born-again believers, we often struggle with the temptation that Satan sets
before us (just as he did with Eve and even with Jesus), or we struggle with our own
selfish desires that woo us toward that notion that is so deeply embedded in
our culture of self-sufficiency and independence - the "Me" thing - "Doing
it my way." Sometimes, we get so
caught up in daily stuff we get distracted. We lose sight of the most important
thing: our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy
Spirit. We need to keep that vertical relationship strong and intact so that we
can be healthier when it comes to navigating our horizontal relationships.
Now I am
not saying that we will not have struggles or that we will not stumble from
time to time. We will and we do - me included! Sometimes it's just busy stuff
that distracts me. Other times, it is the pain and fog of the Fibromyalgia that
gets the better of me and I cannot focus enough to read my Bible, pray, or even
listen to music. During those times, I am totally reliant and dependent on
faith, knowing confidently that He has me in the palm of His Hand and will
never leave me nor forsake me. And, that He doesn't condemn me when I slip up
or am not able to engage in praise and worship as I would like to do.
Jesus
didn't condemn the woman at the well either. He didn't shun her. He spoke to
her with love and gentleness. He came to give her the Good News. He came that
she might have life and have life more abundantly. He came to bring forgiveness
to her. He came to wash away her sin and bring her into relationship with Him.
Not the kind of relationships that she was familiar with. But a different kind
of relationship. One full of hope. One full of life. One full of promise: New
Life.
Jesus spoke to her of drinking from a well that would
never run dry, a well from which she could drink and never be thirsty again!
What? Really? How could that be?
Jesus 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.”
“Sir,” the woman said,
“you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
Whoever believes in me,
as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from
within them.”
Jesus is
the Living Water. Water is restorative. Water is refreshing, especially to
parched land, a dry plant, or a thirsty person. This is true, both physically
and spiritually. Water is powerful. Water
is cleansing. In Ephesians 5: 25-27, we read that husbands are to love their
wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy,
cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, so He could present
her (His Bride the Church) to Himself in glorious splendor without spot or
wrinkle, holy and faultless.
Jesus gave
his life for us, shed His blood for both men and women, male and female, so
that our sins could be forgiven once and for all - they would be washed away -
removed as far as the East is from the West, never to be remembered again. He is the only perfect spouse! He is the only perfect friend.
Jesus is
also the Living Word. He washes us clean with the water of His Word which is
Truth wrapped in agape love. The water of the Word cleanses our souls and
spirits. It refreshes us. It revives us. The water of the Word brings life to
the dry and barren land (our physical bodies). Imagine how nice a gently
flowing cool waterfall or stream feels on a hot day. Or, a cool rain shower
tempering a hot, clammy summer's day. Think of the joy of taking a cleansing
shower after working outside in the dirtiest environment you can imagine.
It's the
same principal with the Word of God. Our daily lives are often filled with
circumstances and events that tire us, that can frustrate us, even make us
angry, though we may never intended to get angry or lose our temper. Perhaps we
were tired and short on patience and snapped at someone without thinking.
Perhaps someone spewed hurtful words at you or you caught yourself doing that
to or about someone else. We get dirty sometimes, not only physically, but
spiritually. Sometimes we feel as though we are experiencing a spiritual
drought. Our soul, our spirit needs cleansed, needs refreshed, needs washed,
needs revived!
As I have mentioned in other posts, when the Fibromyalgia
began to take its toll on me several years ago and I sought the Lord for His
direction and purpose in this situation, He began to inspire me, from time to
time, to write in a way I had never imagined I would write! Sometimes it was in
the early morning. Sometimes it was in the evening. Sometimes it was mid-day.
Other times it was late at night or the wee hours of the morning.
Now, I began to sense (and several close Christian
friends confirmed this) that these writings would one day be published. I wasn't sure when or how, though. In the
meantime, I was to share them as directed by the Holy Spirit. Not only have
they been blessings to several others already, but the Lord has also used them
to encourage me as well! I am still amazed and in awe as I go back and reread
them. Some have been tweaked, some have had scripture references added to them.
Others remain as originally written.
One of
those compositions was titled "Rivers of Living Water." As I was
perusing through some of my art one day, I realized the
acrylic abstract of a hanging garden with a gently graded waterfall I had
painted paired nicely with this composition. Below is a photograph of the
painting with the verse under it.
River of Living Water
Flow through
me Father
River of
Living Water
Flow out of me
Father
River of
Living Water
Flow into the
hearts of the
Wounded souls
River of
Living Water
Reaching,
longing, seeking for You
to make them
whole
River of
Living Water.
Water can
also be destructive. So, too, can the power and anointing we have been given as
servants of the Living God if we misuse or abuse it. We must be good stewards
of the gift with which we have been entrusted. If we misuse or abuse the gift,
our testimony will suffer, others will suffer, we will suffer, and not for the
Glory of God. Like a storm unleashed on a vulnerable and unsuspecting
landscape, the scars created when we run amok and carelessly or dictatorially
misuse our gift or misuse God's Word will run deep.
We must be
careful not to allow ourselves to get puffed up or arrogant, thinking ourselves
better than others. Jesus is our perfect example and we should desire and seek
to emulate His example of humility and servant-hood. Yes, as we grow and as we
continue to walk the straight and narrow, there will be times when we will make
mistakes and even times when we may stumble and fall, but forgiveness is vital.
Not only are we to forgive others, but we must learn to forgive ourselves as
well. That was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn - the importance of
loving myself as Jesus loves me and forgiving myself because He shed His blood
so that I could be forgiven.
God's Word
is the Water that washes over us as, that cleanses us from the daily dirt
that's part of living in a fallen world. That is why it is important for us to
stay connected to our lifeline! As much as it is possible with you, read God's
Word, Speak God's Word, listen to God's Word. Engage in Praise and Worship.
Soak in His Presence. Let the Water of His Love flow over and into you,
continually, so that You may, in turn, be poured out as a blessing to others,
to be a vessel of healing, of encouragement, of refreshing, of restoration. May
we be humble vessels filled to overflowing with Rivers of Living Water.
This is our Hope. This is our Promise.
Revelation 7:17,
NIV
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will
be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes.’”
