Tuesday, October 30, 2012

How To Quench Your Thirst

    Come, see a man, which told me all the things that I ever did: is not this the Christ?--John 4:29
                                   -----
    The hot sun was beating down on her as the woman carried her pot across the clearing to Jacob's well for her daily supply of water. Life in Sychar had not been good to her, especially with the women and the elders who ruled the city. After all, she was well known to her neighbors and they had branded her as a harlot--and rightfully so.That's likely why she chose to brave the noonday sun each day as she made her trip to the well.
    The "good people" of Sychar made it a point to draw their water early in the morning before it got too hot. This was the best time for her, however, because there was seldom anybody else at the well at this time and she didn't have to endure ridicule from any of the townsfolk who knew her. 
    This day, though, there was someone else at the well, a man quietly sitting there. It was almost as if he had been waiting for her to come by. It was obvious to her that he was Jewish. Oh, boy, what kind of trouble was she in for now?
    "Give me to drink," he said.
    How can he ask me a question like that, she wondered. Aloud, she replied, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, asketh drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans?"
    "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou would have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water," the stranger replied.
    Her response to that statement was one of shear wonder and perhaps unbelief. "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
    "Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle"
    Lots of questions. But, then she was like a lot of people who are so quick to question Christ. Perhaps it's because He really is still such a stranger to them. And, for sure, they've never ever met anyone like Him before.
    John 4:13 records Jesus' next response to her as:
    "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I give him shall be in him a well of living water springing up into everlasting life."
    As you might expect, the woman gave a quick, affirmative reply, at least verbally. "Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come to draw," she said. Inwardly, she had to be wondering, just how does he think he's going to do it? Or, in other words, Oh yeah, let me see you prove you have such abilities.
    Jesus told her: "Go, call thy husband and come hither."
    "I have no husband," she retorted, probably thinking, I've got you now.
    "Thou hast well said, I have no husband," Jesus told her. "For thou has had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that thou sayest truly."
    "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet," she acknowledged.
    Take a moment and read the rest of that exchange in John 4. There's a good chance you may find Jesus waiting on the sidelines somewhere in your life sometime when you least expect it, but need Him most.
    The woman, by the way, went back and told her neighbors: Come, see a man, which told me all the things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? They were so moved by her experience that they not only listened to her, but went out to see Him for themselves.
    Have you checked out this amazing man with the living water yet?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

THE FALL OF LIFE

    Life is an incredible adventure that includes highs and lows, the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly. As someone has said, it is not a sprint, but a marathon in which we are required to cope with whatever situation comes our way.
    One of my favorite expressions is "Only one life, it will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."
    This life is not forever, it is a fleeting thing. In the Bible James tells us that even the rich are here temporarily, "But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof faileth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." (James 1:10-11.)
    The next verse tells us to hold fast to Christ for the opportunity to live forever. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." (James 1:12.)
    No, this life is only a temporary experience for all of us. Moses, in Psalms 90:10, advises, "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be forescore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
    Last May I reached the age of 72, so I'm well aware that sometime ago I entered the fall of my life. While some people call this lifetime segment the golden years, I have reached a stark conclusion that there are a number of things I once did well and almost without thinking, I cannot do as well--or even at all--today.
    Unlike the way it may have been in our youth, we have learned while passing through the marathon of life what chronic aches and pains are, we have experienced our share of personal heartaches, and we have endured and enjoyed a myriad of ups and downs.
    While I may no longer be as young or agile as I once was, life still holds plenty of joy for me--and I hope for you as well, if you have reached a similar stage in your life.
    We still treasure our family as well as the friendships we have put together over the years. We have had the joy of watching our children grow into adulthood and go out on their own., We have known the joy of seeing grandchildren and even great-grandchildren come into the world.
    We still have our faith and the hope of seeing Christ for ourselves as we are invited to enter into eternal life someday. So, while life may end as we know it down here, we look forward with much anticipation to what may be over the horizon for us. We are only pilgrims in this life and are simply rehearsing for what lies ahead in a land where we'll never die. I do want to see Christ Jesus in peace one day, don't you?

    

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

WHAT ARE YOU STANDING UPON?

    Ye, also as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.--I Peter 2:5.
                                   -----
    What is your life built upon? What is the foundation of what you really believe. What set of rules and approaches to life govern whatever you do in a given situation? 
    What is the tie that really binds it all together for you? 
    My Dad used to say that his father had taught him that, "The most important thing a man has is his word."
    Not a bad foundation is it? That is, if your word is something you seriously believe in standing behind. It becomes somewhat of a signature for you. 
    My foundation, I firmly believe, is even stronger than that. It is the Word of God, better known as the Bible. The book itself declares itself to be the unchanging Word of God that is forever settled in Heaven. (See Psalms 119:89.)
    The Bible gives us quite a solid basis for determining values, rights and wrongs of both word and deed. Both acceptable and unacceptable conduct is vividly illustrated by events in the lives of the characters in this great book. We need to seldom if ever be forced to learn from our own mistakes and sins.
     The book is filled with memorable examples of other people's conduct and experiences that provide stunning and defining examples to us so we REALLY don't have to make the same mistakes that caused such an impact on their lives. Of course, some people are bound and determined to learn by their own miscues. And, experience can be a most expensive and painful teacher.
    The Apostle Paul, writing in the 8th chapter of the book of Romans, tells us that, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."
    Such beautiful words .... and such proof that God Himself cares so deeply about what happens to each and every one of us. If we will but do what God tells us to do, we can enjoy His mercy and blessing, even if we have come short many times in the past. The Word declares that His mercy endureth forever.
    This is one of those places where the Bible conveys to us that a Spiritual walk is a great treasure to all who choose to go that way. But, the Bible just as emphatically tells us that we all do really get to make up our own personal minds. 
    "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace," Paul declares in verse 6. "Because the carnal mind is emnity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh, cannot please God," say verses 7 and 8. 
    But then he tells us, we who are so persuaded that all he says is true, that, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
    That wonderful Spirit experience he is talking about is the infilling of the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. In Colossians Paul called it "Even the mystery which hath been in hid from the ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," Col. 1:27-28.
    Back to Romans 8, where Paul, in verse 4 said, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
    Using His word as the lamp to our feet and the light to our pathway (Psalm 119:105, Psalms 19:7-8, and Proverbs 6:23) we can see clearly what the course of our lives should and must be.
    Then, through His guidance, his love and mercy, and the mighty power of His Spirit operating within our lives, we are able to live lives that bring lasting joy to us. This allows us to radiate His love for the eternal for the eternal benefit of some, perhaps not all, of those our lives happen to touch. And we also get the satisfaction of knowing we are bringing glory to Christ because we are carrying out His word. Now, isn't that a solid foundation? 


  

   

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

A CHANGLESS SAVIOR FOR CHANGING TIMES

    Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.--Hebrews 13:8
                                         -----
    Are you one of those people who have a difficult time dealing with change? Do you have a fear of change? Resent the pressures and adjustments it often brings? Do you wish there was SOMETHING   that you could count on to remain constant? 
    In today's fast-paced society, ever more technologically evolving, and seemingly moving always toward greater tolerance of more permissive, more radical lifestyles, we are being called upon to adjust to change or somehow accommodate it in some area of our lives virtually all the time.
    The workplace is a prime example. We read everywhere of companies that once had offered people jobs which generally turned into lifetime careers, that today are undergoing "re-engineering."
Restructuring and massive changes often are necessary "in the interest of making a leaner, better company that will be more competitive, and more profitable," employees are often told today. The result, all to often, is major job losses. Let's face it, changing times are changing the way business is operating, and the change usually impacts personal lives and families.
    As stressful as adjusting to the loss of a career position can be, it can sometimes be paled by the stress of having to face adjustments brought about by such tumultuous things as divorce, or the death of a spouse, child, parent or other dear family member.
    In the case of the loss of a long-time companion, something I'm certain a number of my readers have had to cope with first hand, even the thought of going on alone can understandably seem unbearable.
    What do you do when such changes are thrust upon you? How do you handle these things without losing your sanity? How DO you go on ?
    In times like these we need a rock to cling to. We need that one solid, unchanging rock, that we can ever count upon, no matter what. We have that Rock in Christ Jesus.
    As Paul said in Hebrews 13:8, "He is the same." He never changes. We can count on the comfort provided by the everlasting arms of the one who created us, loves us, came to earth and died to redeems, rose again and called us to give our lives to Him, and promised us eternal life with Him. Yes,  in this life, Jesus is the One who promised to always be there, and to care, no matter what.
     "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you," the apostle Peter advises in I Peter 5:7. If the crisis caused by some devastating change in your life has left you feeling hopeless, take Peter's advice, and let us point you to that solid rock today.