That Living Water “Thingee”...the Wayfarer 9/20/13
That Living Water “Thingee”
9/20/13
Fred, this one is as per your
request, thanks for the title, and it, too, is in fulfillment of a previous
promise to return to a scripture mentioned but not used previously.
Before returning to the scripture
initially mentioned, found in the book of John, it is necessary to go to the
scripture that best defines what that living water is, and just where it will
finally be found.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done, I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of
the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son.
(Revelation 21:1-7)
This, then, is the promise, of a
living water, that has been given us by God himself, who cannot lie. It is a
promise far more than having a quenched thirst and never needing liquid
refreshment for our body.
It is a promise of eternity with all
needs satisfied, all pains removed, all illness cured, all sorrow forever
banished and a joy that is boundless because of being truly God’s people and He
being truly our God!
Over the centuries, mankind has
searched quite diligently for the Fountain of Youth, expecting it to grant them
eternal youth, and life as well.
Ponce De Leon searched, here, in
America, centuries ago for that same fountain. His search led him to a new
continent from a world already known, to another, unknown, place in that world, instead of to the true
source of that fountain. Needless to say, that search was futile!
That same search has led to various
other fountains throughout the world, equally incapable of providing the
promised eternal youth sought by him and so many others.
From the healing waters in Lourdes,
France, to the healing waters at Baden, Baden, and the many other spas touted
by mankind, the effects of various natural “healing springs” gained and held
fame over centuries, and were widely proclaimed by civilizations from the
Romans, and Greeks to those currently in existence.
I do not cast any aspersions on the qualities
of the many of these “waters of Life”, or the documented cases of healing that
have actually occurred, I state merely they are inadequate!
Among the waters of life touted over
the centuries, none have lived up to the expectations, and some like the Irish
“OUISGAH”, (also interpreted as the water of life), when abused as it is by so
many, have led down a far different path to a far different result.
I state also, that all of them are
only a dim reflection of that true water that has been promised, and that their
effectiveness is only as great as is the faith in that “true water” that is
available for those with the sincerity, piousness and faith with which to find
it.
That “water”, comes from only one source, and may be had only from that
source, and only by the means given us to receive it!
Now, Fred, I return to the scripture,
to which I believe you referred, that I promised long ago to return to, and as
well to others that you may not have quite had in mind, as I made that promise,
but are part and parcel of that living water.
“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard
that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
And he must needs go through Samaria.
Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar,
near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied
with his journey, sat thus on the well; and it was about the sixth hour.
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water; Jesus saith
unto her, Give me to drink,
(For the disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that
thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the
Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of
God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have
asked of Him, and he would have given thee living water.”
(John 4:1-10)
Jesus, having begun his ministry,
almost immediately began to face persecution from the religious leaders of the
time, and chose to carry his message back to Galilee.
Those “leaders” were disgruntled with
John for teaching the simplicity of redemption through repentance, and even
more upset with Jesus himself preaching that same concept and beginning to find
favor with the common people he came to teach.
On this journey, He found that He
needed to pass through Samaria, a country that wanted nothing to do with the
Jews of Jerusalem, and were considered by most of those Jews to be beneath
their righteous status that they proclaimed for themselves.
Travel then, as now, when done on
foot, works up both hunger and thirst in those taking such a journey.
Jesus sent his disciples into the
city to buy food, and went to the well long ago established by Jacob to quench
that thirst.
The woman at the well had no idea of who he
was, or of the meaning of his statement, and was initially concerned only with
the animus between Jew and Samaritan.
Now we pick back up on the
conversation that forever changed that Samaritan woman, and was also a
promise to All to come of that living water that we speak about
in this dissertation.
“The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw
with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the
well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this
water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I
thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said
unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is
not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
The woman saith unto
him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in
Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me the hour cometh, when
ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father,
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation
is of the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which
is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”
(John 4:11-26)
After this encounter, the Samaritan
woman believed, and went directly
into the city to spread the gospel good news of the Savior that had come!
This is where I picked up in the
sermon that referenced this text, and promised a return to it.
This living water that was promised,
that day in Samaria is the same living water promised in the book of Revelation
that I earlier referenced.
In order to receive that living
water, the same requirement exists today as it did all those centuries ago.
Redemption through repentance is
still, and will always be, the means of its attainment!
True and complete belief in that same
Savior and in his intercession for us at the throne will eventually provide us
with that living water:
If we worship in spirit and in truth!
To worship in spirit and in truth, we
must first accept that God is a Spirit,
just as are we, having been created in His image.
We must as did that Samaritan woman recognize and confess that the
only intercessor that will ever be available came in the flesh, was tortured,
crucified and GAVE his physical life, to allow us to be able to find that spirit,
through the belief in the truth of that
sacrifice!
I’m not quite finished just yet,
though, Fred, that living water “thingee” is only a part of the promise given
us in Revelation:
“But the fearful, and unbelieving and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire, and brimstone: which is
the second death.”
(Revelation 21:8)
So, again I leave with the words of
that Savior, the greatest of all prophets, intercessor and SON OF GOD whose
words while on earth and even from the revelation to John demand that we:
“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
I close, for now, secure in the
knowledge that I may expect the gift of
that living water "thingee" as I was promised it a long time ago through having
met the requirement of redemption through repentance and acceptance of Jesus
who not only came to earth in the flesh , but stands still at the throne making
intercession for myself and all others willing to accept His precious gift.
I remain as always, no better, nor
worse a creature, than any other to have ever taken a breath, or whoever will,
but with the absolute certainty of being a sinner saved by grace through faith
in my Lord Jesus, still an unworthy and humble soldier in His
service, awaiting the day His love makes me worthy as I bow before a throne of
grace, and continue to confess Him then as I do now and have since that long
ago acceptance and repentance.
I pray that all who read this or hear
it spoken comprehend the choice that must be made, and can only be made by the individual,
and choose that living water “thingee” for their own!
2 Timothy 1:12 12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2 Timothy 1:12 12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer
the Wayfarer
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