Living waters

I keep reading about "living waters" and today one verse really painted a picture for me.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,

‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’"

~John 7:38

I saw this heart pouring out and spilling into a river. How can that be? I don't feel that my heart flows with rivers of living water. But I believe! I pictured the river taking away "stuff", washing away the "dirtiness", cleansing the heart. Only to be reminded that I need to let Jesus "fix" my heart, my "cisterns", so it can hold His living water which then can be poured out and give life. 

"For my people have committed two evils:

they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters,

and hewed out cisterns for themselves,

broken cisterns that can hold no water."

~Jeremiah 2:13

Jesus, if we are broken we cannot hold any water, that's why we need to let You mend us so our hearts can flow rivers of living waters. 

Lord, may we not forsake You, in thinking that we can produce the living waters without You and in keeping the living waters for ourselves. You are the Fountain of Living Waters. May we keep at the source and be filled - always.

The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never get your eyes on the obstacle or on the difficulty. The obstacle is a matter of indifference to the river which will flow steadily through you if you remember to keep right at the Source. Never allow anything to come between yourself and Jesus Christ, no emotion, no experience, nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source. (Oswald Chambers)

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Days of Awe

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im ("Days of Awe"). When I saw that as I was reading more about this holiday, I wanted to see what "awe" means. Dictionary.com says that it's an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like. Oh, how all these things can be said about God.

 

Lord, we stand in awe of You, as the song sings...

You are beautiful beyond description

Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depths of Your love
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty, enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depths of Your love
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty, enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You
Yes, I stand in awe of You
I stand in awe of You

 

Lord Jesus, Holy God to whom all praise is due.

 

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom

that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God

acceptable worship, with reverence and awe."

~Hebrews 12:28

 

"You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!"

~Psalm 22:23

 

"Let all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!"

~Psalm 33:8

 

We stand in awe of You!

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End in mind

I was looking through some used books in a store when one of them caught my eye. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I eagerly read the table of content to see what they were. And one of them "stuck". Habit #2. I haven't read the book and don't know anything about the author, but the statement made me think of God.

Begin with the end in mind.

I know that's how God does it. That's how He looks at things. That's how He looks at me.

Coincidedly, Sunday's video mentions that too. "God sees the end from the beginning." And how I need to do the same.

I don't usually look at myself, others, circumstances etc. that way. You could say that I am "shortsighted" in that way, but by the grace of God I am getting better. I am learning and asking God to help me to see myself the way He sees me. I am asking Him to help me see others for what they are in Jesus. And to see my circumstances for why He allowed them.

And what if I lived with the end, the eternity in mind as the day of the Lord's coming is approaching?

Lord, You are the End. May we have You in mind. Thank You for the springs of water of life without payment. Lord, thank You for seeing us with the end in mind, through the finished work of Jesus and for sustaining us to the end, guiltless.

"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

 

"As you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who will sustain you to the end,

guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is faithful, by whom you were called

into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

~1 Corinthians 1:7b-9

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Bless the Lord

I want to bless the Lord today. What does it mean to bless God? We bless the Father by speaking well of Him, by eulogizing Him and telling of His wondrous love. That's what I read in my prayer devotional today. And here is the prayer I would like to offer as well:

Abba, my soul, all my inmost being, is praising Your holy name. When I think about Your benefits, I thank You for forgiving all my sins and healing all my diseases. Thank You for redeeming my life from the pit and crowning me with love and compassion. You satisfy my desires with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's. Thank You for blessing me with all blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, my Lord. Amen.

I will bless the Lord with a help from David and the Psalm he wrote.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from
everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

~Psalm 103

Lord, You forgive, You heal, You redeem, You crown, You satisfy. You are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

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HLD

Today is Labor Day. When I think about the word "labor" in the Bible, usually two things come up. First, that you should work six days and rest the seventh. And secondly, not to labor in vain.

"Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God."

~Deuteronomy 5:13-14a

 

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."

~Psalm 127:1

 

I can be challenged by both. Am I keeping the Sabbath? Am I building only when the Lord builds?

It always saddens me to read what Jesus said, that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, which challenges me as well. Am I working towards the harvest?
 

"Then he said to his disciples,

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest

to send out laborers into his harvest.”"

~Matthew 9:37,38

 

Lord, may I not labor in vain. Help me be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work.

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

~1 Corinthians 15:58

 

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Yet another month

Yet another month has passed. It brings thoughts of my birthday approaching and the feelings of failure and sad thoughts can be so easily evoked in me as I think that I am not "accomplishing" what I wanted and a voice saying, "I knew you could not do it." Yet the voice of truth tells me a different story. It tells me it's not about my performance, so I could feel better about myself.

What I am learning is that: God's purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working toward a particular finish; His end is the process-that I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God. (Oswald Chambers)

"I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me."

~Psalm 57:2

 

"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands."

~Psalm 138:8

 

Lord, may I not look to myself. May I not see my failure, but may I see your victory. Help me to depend on You and on Your power.

 

Oh, Jesus. I cry out to God Most High, who fulfills His purpose for me. Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Have mercy on me, O God. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

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In his heart

"Czech" out this video:

 

Just today I received this video from my dear faithful friend. How timely. Thank You, Jesus.

Here is some of what it said: We have the management of the heart. I got a new heart and a new mind when I got born-again, but if I did not renew my mind to see myself the way I am now in Jesus and having all the promises of God, then I will ultimately take myself back to believing in my heart what I used to believe in my heart.

 

Conscious thoughts become the doorkeeper of the heart. What I think about controls what gets passed my mind and into my heart. And what I think about determines what can come out of my heart and come out into the rest of my life.

 

Thoughts effect emotions and emotions effect thoughts. I need to think on whatever things I choose until I create the associated emotion. Believing is a combination of both thoughts and feelings. I am only believing something when I think it and feel it.

 

In order for faith to become reality, we take these promises from the Word of God based on the finished work of Jesus, we renew our mind, we think about them, we change the way we feel, we create the emotion that we would have if we were experiencing that becoming our reality.

 

In Biblical meditation we are opening the door to our heart by causing our thoughts and our emotions to become one with the Word of God.

 

Our problem is that we trust everything else above and beyond what God's Word says. And then we wonder why is it not becoming a reality. We are having the reality that we magnify.

 

Wow. How true. We are having the reality we magnify. Oh, Lord, have mercy.

 

Lord, it seems that feelings are the problem. I can see how they were and are still my biggest issue. Help me, Lord. Help me to write on my heart only what You have written. Help me to see and experience the end.

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

~Proverbs 23:7 AMP

 

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