Tuesday July 17, 2007

    I do enjoy sitting in my sun room and watching it rain.  God’s creation reflects His character.  He rains down His grace, peace, strength, mercy, and love on us.  I look out and see the rain coming down as such a rate that the storm drain does not catch it all.  I runs off to the next one.  We serve a generous God.  He doesn’t just supply us with enough.  He pours Himself into us until we are drenched, super saturated and overflowing.  John 4:14 tells us that whoever drinks of the water the Lord Jesus gives will never thirst and will have a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.  But it doesn’t stop there!  Our belief in Him will cause rivers of living water to flow from our hearts (John 7:38).  What is the purpose of that outflow?  The water of God’s Word and His Spirit overflowing from us will “Burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.  The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land a spring of water.” (Isaiah 35:6-7) 
    We receive in excess to show the power and abundance of God, so that He receives glory!  Out of the overflow of His glory the people around us are blessed and have the opportunity to see their thirst.  We are all born dehydrated and dieing of thirst.  They can see our thirst continually quenched even though theirs returns.  Our overflow is a blessing, but it cannot satisfy.  They have to go to Jesus for salvation in order to be fully satisfied and have their own spring.
    This is not a prosperity gospel or name it claim it doctrine.  We are not commanding God to bless us so that we may be rich, happy and care free.  The supply God gives is not to keep us from difficult circumstances or challenges.  It is to supply every need to help us grow in and through every circumstance.  Paul tells us in Philippians 1:5-7 that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”   2 Corinthians 9:7-9 tells us that “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”  What is the good work?  To do the Lord’s will.  We work not to earn salvation, but to give glory and praise to the One we love.  He supplies what we need and we glorify Him by receiving, passing it on, and being a witness in the hard as well as the easy times.
    Have you drunk from the well of living water only Christ can give?  Have you gone today to drink?  Have you asked the Lord to rain down on you today?  If not you need to.  We can’t live off of yesterday’s drink.  We can’t even just drink once a day.  We have to continually drink of the Lord, His Word, and His Spirit.  Go to the well and be satisfied!