Living Water and New Life

Today, my thoughts from God’s Word coincide with Chambers’ last lines in his devotional reading. He says, “God does not build up our natural virtues and transfigure them, because our natural virtues can never come anywhere near what Jesus Christ wants. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every bit of our bodily life into harmony with the new life which God has put in us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that are characteristic of the Lord Jesus.”

The Bible refers to this new life in many ways. One of them is ‘living water’ or ‘springs of water’ and this water is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ . . .

Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.” (Psalm 87:7)

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12:3–4)

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.” (Revelation 21:6)

That some of my family members plus millions of other people do not have or even seem to thirst for this incredible living water makes me sad. I’m also downcast because the news is filled with the most horrid stories. A father shoots his two teen sons then himself. A mother stabs her adult daughter to death. War is destroying entire cites and leaving millions dead or homeless. Children are sold as sex slaves. Families die in fires. Seldom do we hear good news. Most of it is about death and tragedy. Chambers speaks of natural love and other virtues, yet these seem to be sliding into oblivion.

People close to me who once seemed to believe in Jesus now mock Him. Unless their faith is made new, they are living apart from God and separated from those of us who “wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

Even as a Christian, I know what it is to anger God. He cares far more about my purity than my comfort and does whatever is necessary to rid my life from sin.

How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:29–31)

Those ‘springs of living water’ gave me this burden for those who turn away from Jesus. If it were not for Him, I would not care about the eternal destiny of others. Instead, I would be like them — and not care about it for myself either.

Thank You Jesus for good news. You grant forgiveness and new life to those who seek You, not just a change in our innermost being which is wonderful, but also the gift of the life that lasts forever with You in Your perfect eternal home.