Springs of Living Water
Jer 2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
13 “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.
Have you ever read Jeremiah or Lamentations? Jeremiah, who wrote both books, was known as the weeping prophet. He was raised to be a priest, but when he was nineteen God called him to be a prophet. Jeremiah often wept over God’s messages to His people. He loved Jerusalem and it broke his heart to know that Jerusalem was going to fall.
What nation can stand if they exchange the one, true and living God for idols made by hands? Who exchanges springs of living waters for wells dug by hands, broken and dry? Yet, look around the world and you will see things have not changed much. What will enable us to turn away from false idols and look back at the face of Jesus?
We must have an encounter with the Holy Spirit, and we will need to bow before His presence and ask forgiveness for our sins. What are our sins? Whatever separates us from God. When we repent, God will forgive, He will restore us, transform us and we will be reconciled. Then we will receive the living water once again that gives us life and bear much fruit for the kingdom.
May we grow tired of being thirsty and may we drink everyday from the living waters, sharing God’s love with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Staying in the Word
Psalms 81:8-12 (NIV) 8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9 You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not worship any god other than me.
10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
11 “But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
Well, this is a depressing scripture. Where is the joy? Where is the hope? Where is the encouragement?
Our joy, hope, and encouragement are found in God’s Word. This verse, found in Nehemiah 8:10, shows that even in our suffering, we can find joy. We can be so short sighted that our present circumstances blur our vision and blind us to the truth of God’s promises. But when we lose sight of God’s promises, we lose sight of God.
May we always look to God ‘s Word for inspiration, comfort and direction as we ask for our daily bread, and as we offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I am He
John 4:15-26 15 The 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.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Good Sunday morning! I don’t know about you, but if I miss church on Sunday, it does not just start my day wrong—my entire week is off kilter. Today is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, so we will either be in sync with others, or we will be late.
Yesterday we began looking at our scripture where Jesus confronted the woman at the well with truth. Oh, I wish I could have heard the words as they came from our Savior’s mouth. But I can tell you this—the words this woman heard were not spoken in anger, or derision, or condemnation. No, they were spoken in love. And when the truth is spoken in love, everything changes.
The woman came to the well in shame and despair, but she left the well with hope and joy. She immediately told others she had met the Messiah. Oh, what a model for each of us to follow.
May we today leave our burdens at the Savior’s feet, and may we share the good news of salvation with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jesus snd the Samaritan Woman
John 4:4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10 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.”
One thing I love about the scriptures is the way they feed me. I can enjoy a snack by reading the verse of the day offered in several Bible Apps. Or, I can sit down for a feast, digging deep into word studies or various themes.
The most important thing I know about the Word of God is this—if we are not transformed by the reading of the Word, then we are not doing it right! You see, when God shines His truth into our hearts, it not only illuminates the open spaces, but it also prevents us from hiding things under the floorboards.
The Samaritan woman Jesus encountered had been drawing water during the heat of the day for years—Why? She wanted to avoid meeting other women who could be very unkind about the woman’s lifestyle.
But Jesus did not shame her, instead, He presented her with the truth.
May we open our hearts and minds to the truth today, and may we share the story of salvation with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Together in Christ
Ephesians 2:11-22
New International Version
Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
It can be difficult for us in the 21st century to relate to these verses. Yet, the Ephesians were quite aware of the separation existing due to race and religion. But Jesus broke down barriers that had existed for generations, bringing joy and unity to all who believed. Some referred to elevating Gentiles as the mystery, but the true mystery was God sending His son to be the spotless sacrifice for sinners slain.
May we continue during our Lenten journey to reflect upon our personal walk with Jesus, trusting that God will enable us to do all He calls us to do.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 