Overflow or Runoff

“My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).

Imagine two men. The first man enjoys a never-ending flow of water, beautiful, fresh and pure. The water flows over rocks as if dancing down the stream. The water quenches the man’s thirst. His fields are irrigated and his flocks drink from the river. Drought doesn’t reduce the flow of water, and the man prospers.

The second man ignores the benefits of great water flow and digs a cistern to catch the runoff rain water. The cistern breaks. The dirt absorbs the water and leaves the man with mud. This man is like one who looks for love in all the wrong places. Nothing satisfies, and he concludes that life is meaningless.

A Deeper Look

Life is meaningless without God. Consider that God is the Fountain of Living Water. The first man receives the abundant life from the ever-flowing water. He is refreshed. His flocks and fields are watered, and he prospers. The second man ignores God and all His benefits. He chooses to make his own way, and it turns to disaster. Nothing satisfies his thirst. His flocks and fields die. This is not the end. The man still has an opportunity to turn to God, the Fountain of Living Water. God will forgive him and redeem his life. At the end of the ages, the man could stand with Jesus and share His inheritance of abundant life. How great is our salvation!

This parable is for salvation, and it doesn’t mean that believers do not experience trouble. The difference is that they have Someone to stand with them and strengthen them in hard times.

Prayer

Father God, let us never forget or take lightly what You have done for us. Thank you for Jesus and the redemption He brought unto eternal life. In His great name, Amen.

Let the River Flow

Photo by Airam Dato-on on Pexels.com

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city” (Revelation 22:1).

When Eden is restored, a river will flow from the throne of God and through the New Jerusalem. Consider that the river is God Himself flowing through every part of the city, every person in Heaven. It seems too wonderful for words, but it adds to my deepest longings. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is not water” (Psalm 63:1).

God the Father is a River

“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). Men walk away from God and choose to live on their own, which does not take away their longings. They substitute God with other things, but find no satisfaction. There is no one like God who satisfies our longings and gives meaning to life.

God the Son is a River

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zechariah 13:1). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when He gave His life on the cross to take away our sin. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse us and purify our hearts. God gave His Only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

God the Spirit is a River

Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). He said to the woman at the well, “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” (John 4:10). This woman tried to live on her own. She had been married five times and was living with a man she wasn’t married to. She asked Jesus about worship. He said, “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). The woman was an outcast, but Jesus showed her respect. Be cause He did, she became the first evangelist of Sychar, and many others received His love as she did.

Let the River Flow Through You

Everything that has lasting value flows from the throne of God. This world has many distractions, and without God in our lives, we are left with frustration, anger, anxiety, loneliness, hatred and violence. It doesn’t have to be that way. We were never meant to stand alone. God made us for His pleasure and wants to be with us. He is not a God that looks down and judges us, making a distance between us and Him. Don’t run from Him when you do things you know are against His will for you. Run to Him as David did after he sinned with Bathsheba and murdered her husband. He said, “You are my hiding place” (Psalm 32:7). He didn’t run or hide from God when he sinned. No, he ran to God for redemption. It doesn’t matter what sin you have committed, because God is ready to forgive you and remove your sins as far as the east is from the west. Let this river of God flow through you and give you peace.

Prayer

Thank you, Father God, for your Son and your Spirit. Teach us to hide in you for cleansing and renewal. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

How Could Israel Forget God’s Love?

The picture is of En Gedi, an oasis in the Judean desert, west of the Dead Sea. Natural springs have supported this oasis for thousands of years. Healing minerals in the water have drawn many people there for medicinal purposes. King Saul and David found refuge there. I climbed a rocky mountain path to be refreshed by the spray from the waterfalls, and I understood the metaphors David used when he referred to God as his refuge and God’s word as refreshment for his soul. I also found the metaphor of God as the Spring of Living Water at En Gedi, and I questioned how the Israelites would choose cisterns for themselves instead of the Spring of Living Water.

What Led Israel Astray?

God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and carried them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. They lived in houses they didn’t build and ate from vineyards they didn’t plant, but over the years they forgot His amazing love. They compromised their faith by choosing idols and gods from the nations around them. No other nation had exchanged their god for another. Why did Israel? God said, “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).

Jeremiah’s Warning

“As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the people of Israel are disgraced–their king and their officials, their priests and their prophets. They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ (Jeremiah 2:26-27). The Israelites did not listen to Jeremiah, and they were exiled by the Babylonians for 70 years.

Wake Up America

What happened to Israel should scare Americans, because many have rejected God. Christian pastors are arrested for speaking up at community gatherings. Every believer should fear the coming judgement and be like Jeremiah. Maybe we all can’t be evangelists or pastors, but we can live our lives differently. We can show love and mercy to others. We can be witnesses to what God has done in our lives. Friend, this is already happening. People experience God’s love, answered prayers and miracles, even in today’s world. Lives are changed for God’s glory. Will you allow God to work in your life so that others will come to know God’s amazing love?

Prayer

Holy and merciful God, empower your people with truth and with love so others will experience your love. Be glorified in us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.