Planted By The Rivers Of Water

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

                                                                            (Psalm 1:1-6 KJV)

At the least disruption to life there are those who would cause so much drama that one would think the world was ending. They are like grass blowing in the wind; mowed over at the landowners earliest convenience.

But, one who loves the Lord and considers the way that He would have us go is like the tree that is firmly planted in soil beside streams of water. On the riverbanks on which I live during the summer, many of the trees have been blown about by the winds. They are old and have been bent down. But, they continue to grow with their roots connected deeply within the soil. The winds nor the waves have been able to take them down.

Such is the person who delights in the law of the Lord. They might bend from time to time. But, they will not break.

May you drink abundantly of the streams of living water provided by Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Spirit And Living Waters

Aguasabon Falls, Terrace Bay, Ontario, Canada

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

                                                                                  (John 7:37-39 KJV)

In faith the Good News shall go out to the world from within us. Yet; understand, that is not because of our ability that this is done. It is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, that dwells within us that refreshes the people with the promise of the Kingdom of God through Christ Jesus even as the waters of the rushing river will refreshes the land.

Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. It is the Holy Spirit that will guide us and speak this Good News through us. 

It took me many, many years to grasp who the Holy Spirit is. It took me many years to figure out that without the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life and I mean active in my life that my life was pretty sedentary; literally so passive that it was as though I was one of the walking dead. There was no life in me. So, I asked. I asked the Holy Spirit to introduce himself to me... And, the Holy Spirit did. Before the Spirit's presence, life was pretty lifeless.

If the Holy Spirit is not present and active in your life. If you do not know the Holy Spirit (as many Christians including Lutherans have never been introduced to the Spirit) listen to these words of Jesus:

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

                                                                                    (Luke 11:9-10,13)

Ask and receive... that living waters might flow through you like a river, refreshing those around you.

God's Peace - Pr. J