"Grey Mare's Tail" in the Boarderlands
"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
-John 7:37-38
| Our Message & Photograph: "Ruts"
Recently a good friend of mine prayed, "Lord, help us to lay down new ruts." He did not refer to the meaning of ruts as a fixed condition or routine that is unpromising and dull. Nor of a groove or hollow worn under the constant pressure of the same struggle with sin that so easily entangles us. When he prayed, he referred to allowing the Spirit to wash us in His Word to make new ruts in our hearts flowing with His living water to a thirsty world.
This photo shows a rushing stream flowing down a mountain side in the Scottish Boarderlands. Centuries of cascading water has worn a deep groove or rut to give life to the vivid green mountain side. In the Scripture verse from John that is accompanying the photo Jesus tells us that when we thirst and seek Him He will never deny and ignore us. In that seeking, when we believe and trust in Him, out of our hearts flow the living water of the Holy Spirit.
Often we don't think of ourselves as a stream of His Spirit or as a fountain of life-giving water. Especially when we are stuck in the ruts of past mistakes and repeating a sin long thought to have been resolved in God. We will often stumble and spin our wheels in that same worn out rut and say, "Why, God, am I here again?" Jesus has filled our brokeness with Himself. He washes those ruts with His Word of Promise to become a flowing river of His Spirit. We can stumble into the same patch of dry, worn road or exert our own strength to spin our wheels unsuccessfully trying to free ourselves and dig deeper into the mire. Or allow His life-giving Spirit to flow through our hearts lifting us up and out of the old ruts.
The washing of His Word lays down new ruts for His Spirit to flow. His Spirit guides and enpowers us in a way that allows us to experience His overflowing life. As we respond to the Spirit's direction and exercise His power, this living water will flow through our hearts and out to irrigate others that thirst for healing and the life-giving message of Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel was given a vision of this living water from the Lord where he saw a life-giving river coming out from the temple of God. (Ezekiel 47:1-12) As it flowed, it got deeper and wider providing flourishing life of all kinds wherever the river touched. All manner of fish were swimming in it and healing trees lined its shores. But notice, this river starts as a small trickle from the temple and as it moves, gets deeper and wide enough to swim in. A river that no one could cross! His Word expands, unfolds, never stops flowing from a trickle to a raging river! The world thirsts for this living water! What we think is nothing more than a trickle of His Spirit in our hearts, God, by His Spirit, lets it flow out of us into a raging, life-giving, and healing river of His love! Let us not sit or spin in an old rut, but lay down a new one of faith in Jesus and then be carried away in the refreshing flow of His Word to a thirsty world!
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