Wednesday, January 21, 2015

REFRESHING THE WELL

                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?        


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