Christian Growth

See, a king will reign in righteousness 
and rulers will rule with justice.

Each man will be like a shelter from the wind 
and a refuge from the storm, 
like streams of water in the desert 
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Isaiah 32:1-2

God showed me this scripture to pray for my church, for the leadership, for the Body -- that we would indeed be a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storms of life.  Too often we allow the enemy to create storms, turmoil, damaging winds inside the walls of the church.  So, what is intended to be a safe place filled with love, mercy, encouragement, exhortation, grace and peace becomes just one more place of tension, conflict and hurt.  We must pray against this, fix our eyes on Jesus, and strive for peace -- in the church corporately and in our individual lives.

Do we offer streams of water in the desert lands of people's lives?

Jesus said of himself in John 4:10-14 that He was the source of living water.  Are we pointing others to that source?

I love the imagery of this scripture from Isaiah -- "the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land."  Can you picture it?  Perhaps it looked like the rock at Horeb from which God gave the Israelites fresh water. (Exodus 17:1-7 )

That certainly was a thirsty land!  Physically it was a desert, but spiritually the people were thirsty for God's presence, His deliverance. Any spiritual moisture in their souls was being sucked dry by their grumbling and unbelief.

God showed up in a mighty way, gushing fresh water from that huge rock.

So, too, in our lives our Rock offers not only shade in our desert-like lives but a rush of living water which, if we let it, will saturate our very souls.

Other scriptures for study: Psalm 91:1 ; 46:4; Numbers 20:1-13 ; John 4:10-14 ; 7:38

please see Day Twelve for part one

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

streams of living water will flow from within him."

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 7:38-39

If we are believers in Jesus Christ we become a conduit for that living water.  It flows from deep within us by the Holy Spirit who resides in us.  That living water gushes out of us and onto those we come in contact with.

The Message version interprets part of John 7:38 with these words, "Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says."

So, when was the last time your life, my life was a river of living water that was full to the brim with the joy, wonder and amazement of Almighty God, so much so that it gushed out all over those we are in contact with?

We need to open our eyes to the people around us like the Samaritan woman.  Oh, they're in different clothing today:  business suits rather than plainly draped cloth, painted smiles, spiked hair, perhaps some body piercings and extravagant tatoos.  Or maybe they're in very proper "church clothes" sitting right next to you on a Sunday morning, with a heart pierced more severely than any nose ring.

Please Jesus, open our eyes.  Let us be the one that says,

"If you knew the generosity of God, you would ask me, and I would take you to the Source of living water.  Then you would never thirst again -- by the power of the Holy Spirit, the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ."

Additional scriptures for study:  Rev. 21:6 ; 22:17; Isaiah 55:1 ; Psalm 36:8-9 ; Proverbs 9:1-6 ,10

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

streams of living water will flow from within him."

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 7:38-39

Earlier in John's gospel (chapter 4), we read about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well.  It is a fascinating story -- an outcast woman with a tainted reputation, who is likely the center of gossip in the community, and Jesus breaking all the laws and social boundaries by speaking to her.  Why, he should not have even been crossing through Samaria!

Not only does Jesus not condemn her, but he offers her living water so she would never thirst again.

Jesus looks past the cold, hardened eyes of one who is tired of the judgement of the so-called religious and sees a broken woman, one who has built walls around her heart to protect herself from even more hurt. She has looked for love in all the wrong places, wiping her hands clean of five husbands and currently living with a man she is not married to.

Jesus sees the deep hunger, the pain, the fear, the shame, the guilt and says to her parched soul, "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and  I would give you fresh, living water." (John 4:10 , The Message)

Fresh, living water...Jesus is the Source of life.  He is the Bread of life, living water.  Jesus IS the nourishment we need!  (John 6:35-40 )

Please see Day Thirteen for a continuation of this devotional.