Taste The Living Water

It is so hot. The ground is dry and cracked. Every step creates a small cloud of dust from the ground. Ground that longs for a long drink of water. Seems like it was such a short time ago when the streams overflowed and the ditches swelled with rain water. Seasons change and abundance turns to lack. Nature's cup extends with the strong desire for water.

With that I am reminded of the story of the woman at the well and the message a friend of mine recently preached. You can find it in John chapter 4 and I encourage you to read it, but Jesus met a woman there and offered her "living water". She came to the well for natural water and he said ,

"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. " ( John 4:10)

What does that mean , "living water" ? Living , to be alive, is to be organic and not INorganic or dead. So to be living water is not that the water is full of living organisms, but that the water itself is alive. We know that regular water can be ingested and sustain life , but to ingest water that IS a living organism means that you have taken something into your being that is alive and continues to refresh and rejuvenate. It doesn't stop rejuvenating you because it isn't taken , used , then eliminated, like natural water. Once taken in it continues to sustain because it is a "being" in itself and it's desire is to give life.

The definition of the word living is " the action of being life" . So , to take in living water is to take in an organism that is continuously " being life". The word " being" is written in the present tense and not in the past tense. It will continuously be life to your spirit. Only this is not just any organism . This is the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ, and what a great gift He is indeed.

He also told the woman:

" But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

The one who drinks this water , this living water, would never have to be thirsty for it again. Why then do we have spiritual dry seasons? Even the most dedicated of disciples may find themselves standing on a dry patch of ground. Perhaps we have been working real hard and not seeing results, or following the Lord's leading and find ourselves in a desert. Remember the promise of our King . What we have , in Him, has never gone away. His love , joy , peace, and comfort will always be with us. He will sustain us for He is the Good Shepherd. We drank from the cup and He lives within us. He is the Living Water that fills our Spirits and causes the dry patches to bloom with life once again.

If you find yourself in a dry place, pray the Father fills you with this living water and take a deep drink. God bless you my friend.

I'm sorry Joshua and Caleb , they just didn't get it...

Many years ago the people of Israel were held captive in the land of Egypt and were made to be slaves, building great structures with bricks of mud and straw. Moses , who was led by God, son of A Hebrew woman, yet raised by the Pharoah's daughter, delivered the Israelites from Egypt and led to them promised land, that flowed with milk and honey.

Moses sent 12 scouts to observe and bring back samples of the land, which proved the land was rich and fertile. The scouts brought back one bunch of grapes that was so big it had to be hung on a pole and carried by 2 men. Wow! Unfortunately there were some very big people there, giants, Nephilim, sons of Anak, which frightened the people and it didn't take much gossip for the whole camp to be stirred up and against the whole idea of going into the "promised land".

How very sad the people didn't trust God. How very sad when we don't trust God. There were 2 that didn't agree with the rest. They knew God could do the impossible. These 2 men were Joshua and Caleb . Praise God for people that are willing to stand for God in the opposition of thousands. Even today there seems to be too few that are willing to go "all the way" with God. Sadly, the people were sent back into the wilderness, by God, for 40 years for their unbelief.

Some of the people changed their minds but it was too late. They went on to the promised land and found great opposition and defeat. They missed their opportunity and God wasn't in what they were doing now. God forgives when we do wrong, but there are consequences for those wrongs and those may not always be changed. Why didn't Joshua and Caleb go with this group? They had faith enough to believe God could defeat their enemies, but they knew obedience is better than sacrifice. They must obey the word of the Lord. They must follow the Good Shepherd. So back they went. Joshua and Caleb were the only adults that ended up seeing the promised land.

Could you imagine being those poor men? They trusted, believed, prayed, cried out, and saw this land , walked upon the soil with their own feet. Yet, even doing everything right , they were sent back to the wilderness with the rest. Why did they deserve to spend most of their lives in the wilderness ? Why couldn't they enjoy the fruit of their labors designed by God for them and rest ? Why did they have to spend forty years with angry, disagreeable ,unbelieving people?

The same Spirit that gave them the faith to believe also gave them the faith to endure. This was their walk , what they were perfectly formed to do. After all , how can the clay tell the potter what they should be made into. It is that same trust in God , that He knows and sees, that gave them strength to endure.

I'm sorry Joshua and Caleb , that they didn't get it . Alot of people just don't get it and because of that there are some in the wilderness that don't deserve to be there. They are there taking care of someone else, waiting for the time to be right when they can go back once again.

When reading this story I was sad for the brothers that had to turn around and head back into the dry and dusty land and wondered what it would have been like if they would've done things their way instead of God's way. Well, we wouldn't have had the book of Joshua that's for sure and he wouldn't have been there to lead the people once again into the promised land. They knew God would keep His word and they would once again walk the promised land . Except this time , after such a long wait, they were "fired up" , as we say, and ready to defeat the enemy and take the land.

If you find yourself somewhere you don't wanna be , hang in there and endure until the end. If this is your walk, God will give you wisdom and strength to persevere. Follow the Good Shepherd wherever He leads you.