One
day, a couple of years ago, I turned on the tap and the water came out cloudy
and murky. At first, I thought that there was something wrong with my water
softener. But, when I turned on the outside facet, which does not go through
the water softener, the water ran brown. It became obvious that something was
wrong with our well. The water level at gotten so low that we were pumping
sand. We had to have a new, deeper well drilled. Once that was complete, and
the pipes had been flushed, the water ran strong and crystal clear.
The
Bible warns us about letting our spiritual well run dry. If there is not a
constant flow of fresh spiritual water replenishing our well, we will soon be pumping
sand. In the ancient world, people would dig cisterns to catch and store rain
water. The problem with a cistern is that the water quickly becomes dirty and
stagnant. God used that image as a warning to us all about not tapping into His
living water.
"My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own
cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13
As I
look back over this past year, I realize that I have allowed my well to get
dangerously low. Instead of constantly drinking of the fresh, living water of
Christ, I have been drawing from some stale cisterns. While I was on study
break, God began to speak to me, in some subtle ways, that it was time to flush
out the pipes and let the living water flow again. There are four things that I
realized I need to do this year in order to refresh my well.
I
have committed myself to reading through the Bible in a year. This past year I
had been meandering through the Bible in my devotions. I was not as focused as
I should have been, so I was not really drawing the life from God’s Word that
was there for me. A person does not have to read through the entire Bible to
draw on its life giving water. What is important is that we are intentional
about engaging with God’s Word regularly. The Bible is God’s guidebook for
life. It can be our source of strength, comfort and direction, if we allow it
to speak to our hearts.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the
man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
On
my study break, I began reading a book on prayer, by Tim Keller. It has been a
challenge and an encouragement to me. At the beginning of the book, Keller
makes two very important points. First, prayer is our response to God, as He
speaks to us through His word and His world. It is God who begins the
conversation, not us. Second, the real point of prayer is not getting things
from God, but getting to know God more intimately. I realized how my prayers
had become a checklist of requests, instead of a conversation with my loving
heavenly Father.
A
renewed commitment to genuine prayer is the second way that I can refresh my
well. As I intentionally seek to have a dialog with God, I will be refreshed.
Jesus is knocking at the door of my heart. He desires to come in and fellowship
with me. I can invite him in as a friend, or I can keep him on the doorstep,
like a door-to-door salesman.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him,
and he with me. Rev. 3:20
There
is a third way that I can refresh my well; through reading. Many years ago, I
set a goal for myself to read twelve ministry related books a year. In 2014, I
only read six. Just as reading God’s Word refreshes my soul, reading other
authors refreshes my mind. For the most part, books have become my mentors.
They challenge me, encourage me, chastise me, inform me and delight me. I gain
fresh insights from books. I gain new perspectives and am exposed to issues and
people that I would not routinely encounter. Books can help me stay in touch
with a broader context other than my narrow little corner of the world. Some
people get the same help from podcasts and youtube videos. But, for me, books
are still my best resource for fresh ideas and insights.
Finally,
and this is one of the hardest for me, is fellowship. Because of my introvert
personality, it is easy for me to go solo. I am very comfortable working on my
own, running on my own, working in my shop on my own. I need to be more
intentional about engaging with others. God has called us to live in community,
not to live isolated lives. I want to be more open to social interaction with
others for fun, fellowship and support.
And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as
some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the
more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
God
has already begun to refresh my well. It is not yet full, but the level is
rising. Have you checked the level of your spiritual well lately? What can you
do to keep your well fresh and full?
No comments:
Post a Comment