These are my options . . .

Numbers 20; Psalms 58–59; Isaiah 9:8–10:4; James 3

Life boils down to two choices — God’s way or mine. This is the challenge of Christian living!

After the Israelites refused to go into the promised land, they began a wilderness wandering. Like those who reject God’s offer of a spiritual life filled with challenges and blessings, they were thirsty and unhappy with their lot in life. The image is clear to me — it depicts how I am when I’ve rejected something God wants. I’d like the blessings but not the challenges, but then become confused and unfocused, and began to be thirsty for the water of life. At this point, God reminds me of the words of Jesus:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:37–38)

In the wilderness, the people had already had this thirst and Moses was told to strike the rock one time. The water flowed and the people drank. This time, God told Moses to speak to the rock, but he struck it again, not once but twice. This angered God. Most commentators say this was because Christ is the antitype of that rock and this event had a symbolic point: the Rock from whom life-giving water flows is struck once on the cross, not more. Moses disobeyed God and because of it, the symbol He intended was flawed.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:1–5)

This seems a small thing in the narrative, but it is important to the bigger picture of God’s revelation to humanity. The events of the OT point to the need and promise of His saving work in His Son. Any sin is deserving of wrath, but when a leader of God’s people disobeys Him and the consequences mess with how we understand His salvation, it appears to be far more serious; Moses was not allowed to lead the people into the land God promised.

Even this is symbolic. Moses was the giver of the commands. He was God’s person regarding the Laws of God. In these events, no matter what Moses did to guide them, he was like that Law; he could not save or transform the people. Instead, they were taken into the promised land by Joshua whose name means “Jehovah-saves.” Joshua also points to Jesus, the only way in which any of us can come to the Father and experience grace and forgiveness. He gives His people new life in that land of promise.

This event and those rebels also point to the life of challenge in which the flesh and the spiritual life are at war. My old nature wants to run my life, complains when it does not go my way, and gripes about the rule of God, inwardly if not verbally. The new nature is the promised land, the place to be where I am blessed by the Lord and taken care of in every way. When I am filled with His Spirit, then I am in that ‘land’ and enjoying its fruits.

Today God speaks to me how one seemingly small disobedience is enough to hobble my feet so I cannot be filled with His Spirit and cannot experience His blessing. Moses died outside of the land, seeing it but not being there. The Law and obedience to the Law cannot get me there either. However, by the wonderful grace of God, Jesus does what the Law could never do; He changes my heart and fills me with Himself. By the grace and love of God, I can confess my sin, be forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9) and be filled with His Spirit so I’m free to walk right in!

APPLY: This is a daily thing. Keep short accounts. Even ‘little’ things that seem to not matter very much have purpose in the plan of God. I cannot play with the guidance He gives. Do what He says, without grumbling or the slightest hint that I doubt His wisdom. Lack of trust is a fleshy thing. Trusting Him is evidence of the riches He promised. It is all about choice!

Living Water

Dehydration kills those who are lost, in a wilderness place, or anywhere without water. This deadly thirst has several phases. It begins with eudipsia which is “ordinary thirst.” The next phase brings bouts of hyperdipsia or “temporary intense thirst.” Last is polydipsia or “sustained excessive thirst” that drives people to drink anything including urine, blood, even poison.

Besides physical thirst, there is a thirst of the soul, a deep longing for a drink of a better life, of a certainty about the big issues such as what happens after I die? And can I be forgiven and start over again?

Jesus call all those with this thirst to satisfy themselves in Him. Not only that, He will use any who do this to satisfy others who are thirsty.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:37–38)

I know what it means to be satisfied in Jesus. He answers my questions and fills me with confidence about my eternal destiny. The part that I don’t fully realize is being a source of living water for others. I’ve sensed their spiritual understanding and satisfaction at times, but never felt that I had much to do with it.

Chambers says that “a river touches places of which its source knows nothing.” By personifying the river, I can see the reality that my life has little to do with the outflow. Its source is God. Living water is His doing, and He rarely allows His people to see the blessings they bring to others.

Chambers also describes the persistence of a river. Whenever the flow comes to an obstacle, it might pool up and be unable to go on, but not for long. The river makes a way around whatever is blocking its path. It may go underground, but will emerge later. His flow of living water is like that.

The lesson here is to keep drawing near to the Source and He will either take me around obstacles or remove them. I’m not to pay too much attention to whatever gets in the way, but give my attention to God and His Word. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, He will widen the power of the water He flows through me, and that living water will flow into the lives of others.

These are wonderful analogies that bless me. I cannot see what God is doing but I can rejoice in His promise to make use of my life as I trust Him.

A great concluding thought comes from a quote by John Flavel. It concerns the place where this living water and my life is going. He says, “As all the rivers are gathered into the ocean, which is the congregation or meeting place of all the waters in the world, so Christ is that ocean in which all true delights and pleasures meet.”

Amen!

Live like a garden hose

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:37–38)

The Lord God intends that His people be like garden hoses. He supplies the living water and we are the conduit by which that water flows through, unimpeded and ready to nourish others.

This image would not work if the water was impure, yet that is not a problem because that living water comes from our holy God. He is the source of all things good.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17)

However, the image is ruined if the hose was plugged up with sin. Like sand in a garden hose, my overflow is not only hindered, but the water is sullied.

God’s plans for me to bless others can be spoiled or delayed by sin, but He knows what to do. He simply sends a blast of truth through the hose. The force of it clears the flow and restores whatever is needed so I can have a heart that is the vessel He intends.

Chambers has a few rich things to say regarding this principle. He noted that the living water is not particularly for my deliverance or “self realization.” Believing in Jesus is not about what I gain but what He pours through me. I could add up the gains and that would put the focus on me and my accomplishments. Instead, God has so arranged things that I cannot measure the living water or even be aware whether it is flowing or not. That water is not for me, but for others.

Mary of Bethany broke a box of precious ointment and poured it on Jesus’ head. She did not count the cost or the results, just poured out all she had for Him. I am also to abandon myself to Jesus with a heart that is willing to “spill out” for Him, just as He spilled out His life for me.

Chambers says that those who believe in Jesus and become sources of living water shall continually refresh the lives of hundreds of others. I can see that happening through many Christians. I cannot see it in myself. It is a good thing. The Lord knows what I would do with such knowledge — I would swell up with pride and quench the flow, and that sin of pride would immediately produce sand in the garden hose. 

The source of Joy

A mild sinus infection is giving me a dull headache. After a few days, I’m feeling grouchy and impatient. Nothing like a slight nagging pain to reveal what I rely on for my joy.

I’ve tried extra sleep, pain killers, salt water sprays (which will eventually fix the infection), and as a distraction, writing, sketching, sewing, television, reading, and music. Instead of helping, none of these have made me feel any better.

This morning, the Lord directed me to a short verse that identifies the source of Christian joy and reminds me that even in this, my comfort and joy is not found in pills, medications, using my skills, or even in music.

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

Here, the Word of God points to those involved in worship. They sing and dance, but they know that the source of their ability is God, not themselves.

With this verse, Oswald Chambers reminds me that all natural talent has no value when it comes to serving Christ. That is, any abilities that I have apart from Christ cannot produce eternal fruit. I must rely on Him and the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me to effectively serve God.

This principle is also true regarding my own spiritual condition. That is, to be joyful I cannot rely on my own resources. They may not be wrong in themselves, but my “solutions” cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit in me. Joy is never the result of things I can do apart from Christ.

Isaiah said, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3), echoing the praises of the singers and dancers in the psalms. That is, he knew that their music was lovely and gave them much delight, but it was God who supplied the very life within them.

In that same vein, God supplies my life too. Because of that, He is the joy of my life, the very source of it. Before I was saved, I did many things to give me peace and a sense of well-being. However, those are nothing compared to the joy of salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit to produce joy, even when life is upside-down.

I’m convicted by this. Instead of going deeper into self-pity over present discomfort, God wants me to go deeper into Him, to find the joy that He gives, the joy that overcomes the world.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:37–38)

This living water, this joy, is in Him. It is not in anything else, not my abilities nor the pleasures and “fixers” of life. They might work for others, but He shows me that if I want true joy, even when my head aches, I need to run to Him. He also reminds me that this living water is to flow outward; it is for others as much as it is for me.

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Jesus, it is easy to trust You and enjoy life when all goes well. You have undergirded me in the past with the power of Your Spirit to produce peace and joy in my heart, even in tough times. Today, this fruit of joy can be mine also. While I need to take care of the physical needs, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I need to be filled with Your Spirit that I might praise You and be a blessing to those around me.