Come!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 21-22; Psalm 48

TO CHEW ON: "And the Spirit and the bride say 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17

"Come over for coffee."
"Come shopping with us."
"Why don't you come for dinner?"

How sweet the word "come," that tells us we're included, we're invited, we're wanted! That word features prominently in this last chapter of Revelation - the last chapter of the Bible. But it also occurs in other places. Let's take a little trip through the Bible to see other places this one-word invitation was given.

"Come into the ark," God says to Noah, inviting him into a place of safety (Genesis 7:1).

"Come to the house of the Lord." Hezekiah's letter summons the tribes of Israel to a renewed Passover celebration. It is an invitation to revival (2 Chronicles 30:1).

"Come now and let us reason together," begins God's invitation to Israel in a call to receive cleansing (Isaiah 1:18).

"Come to the waters…come buy and eat. Yes come buy wine and milk…" is God's enticement to all who want lasting satisfaction (Isaiah 55:1).

"Come to Me," says Jesus to the weary and burdened, "and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

"Come to the wedding," says the king in Jesus' story about the wedding feast. "Come for all things are now ready," is the summons in another one of Jesus' stories. They are invitations to the gospel feast (Matthew 22:4; Luke 14:17).

And then there's this invitation from Jesus in Revelation. It's from God the Spirit and His bride, the church. It's also from those who have already responded ("him who hears").

It is to anyone who is interested. There's nothing exclusive about this invite.

It's for the one who thirsts - who recognizes a need for water that is life-giving. It's an invitation to take an initial drink of that water and to live on that water.

What are your needs today? Whether for safety, revival, spiritual sustenance, or rest, God's invitation is always "Come."

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for this warm and wonderful invitation. Help me to take you up on it in all the circumstances of my life. And help me to extend it unceasingly to others. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 48

The Bible Project VIDEO: Heaven and Earth (Theme Series)

***********

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

What flows out of you?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 45-48; Psalm 44

TO CHEW ON: “He told me, ‘This river flows east through the desert and the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea, where it will heal the salty waters and make them fresh and pure. Everything touching the water of this river shall live…’” Ezekiel 47:8,9 TLB


What a lovely picture Ezekiel’s vision paints, of life returning and springing up as a result of living water flowing from the temple!  Ezekiel was not the only one who spoke of this.

Joel saw a similar vision:

“… water will fill the dry stream beds of Judah and a fountain will burst forth from the temple of the Lord to water Acacia Valley” - Joel 3:18.

So did Zechariah:

“Life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously both in winter and summer” - Zechariah 14:8.

John in Revelation saw it too:

“And he pointed out to me a river of pure Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, coursing down the center of the main street (of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem - Revelation 21:1). On each side of the river grew Trees of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month; the leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations” - Revelation 22:1,2 (compare Ezekiel 47:12).

The beautiful thing is, Jesus also mentioned this life-giving water, but in an even more personal and present way. In John 4, He offered living water to the thirsty Samaritan woman:

“He (Jesus) replied, ‘If only you knew what a wonderful gift God has for you, and who I am, you would ask me for some living water … But the water I give them,’ he said, ‘becomes a perpetual spring within them, watering them forever with eternal life.’” John 4:10,13.

Then, in the temple, preaching to the crowd Jesus said:

“‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me'" (John 7:37,38, quoting Isaiah 55:1).

John interprets this pouring out as the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (John 7:39). Isaiah spoke of it this way:

“For I will give you abundant water for your thirst and for your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children” - Isaiah 44:3.

As those who cling to Jesus’ death and resurrection for our salvation, and who have surrendered ourselves to the Holy Spirit, this life-giving flow can be, should be flowing in and through us to others.

We do well to ask ourselves, am I a clear channel of living water? Does my presence bring God’s life, health and wholeness? Or have I become a muddled stream, the sort of which James speaks:

“And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth … Dear brothers, surely this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble first with fresh water and then with bitter water?” James 3:10,11.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, through the work of Your Spirit please flush all that is bitter, stale, and putrid from me. May only living water flow through my thoughts, words, and actions.
 
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 44.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from The Living Bible (or TLB) copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

Soul food

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 5-8; Psalm 9

TO CHEW ON: "All the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet the soul is not satisfied." Ecclesiastes 6:7


Has it ever struck you how ever-near is your next bout of hunger? For the healthy person the desire to eat recurs at regular intervals separated by mere hours and is never satisfied in a final way. This is, however, a good thing, as it keeps us fueling ourselves so we stay alive.

In the Ecclesiastes passage the Preacher refers to this inability to once-and-for-all slake hunger. But he looks at it as a disadvantage. We could take his reference to our physical hunger as a stand-in for all the physical things in life that promise satisfaction. We partake, indulge, even over-indulge, hoping to quell that nagging ache. But still there is hunger — soul hunger. Our souls are not satisfied with material things.

Jesus' words stand in bold contrast. He tells us He is the water that finally quenches soul and spirit thirst. He is the bread that finally satisfies and gives spiritual life.

I ask myself, where do I find myself going to quench soul and spirit hunger? To material things? To the arts—literature, paintings and sculptures, music? To social interaction? To personal performance and productivity?

These things have their place. Some are better at providing temporary satisfaction than others. But Jesus and what He offers is the source and supply of spirit and soul food that fully and finally satisfies in a way that lasts into eternity.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me look for and find my satisfaction in You.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 9

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ecclesiastes (Wisdom theme)





*******************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Draw from this well!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 9-12; Psalm 111

TO CHEW ON: "'Behold God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For YAH the LORD is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.
Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation'" - Isaiah 12:2,3



Water was a valuable and much-sought-after commodity in the parts of the east where the events of the Bible played out. The New Bible Dictionary says of Bible wells: "In the arid parts of the East, water may become as precious as gold. Wells were and still remain the subjects of fierce disputes and even strife. They became heritable and were exploited by human monopolies at an earlier date than land." The New Bible Dictionary, p. 1325.

We can gain a fuller appreciation for the "wells of salvation" picture in our focus verses today, when we review the key role that wells played in Israel's history.

- Hagar's life was saved when God opened her eyes to the well at Beer Lahai Roi (Genesis 21:14-19).
- Later Isaac settled at that same well (Genesis 25:11).
- Isaac had to dig many wells before he was finally able to make peace with his enemies and settle down in the land (Genesis 26:15-22).
- Jacob met Rachel at a well (Genesis 29:1-2; 9-12).
- Moses' desperate flight from Egypt ended at a well in Midian (Exodus 2:15).
- Three of David's men risked their lives to get David a drink of water from the Bethlehem well.(2 Samuel 23:15-16).
- Jesus offered living water to a Samaritan woman at a well (John 4:1-13).

Likening our salvation to drinking from a well yields some interesting comparisons.

• Like the well was a life-saver for Hagar and Moses, the wells of salvation are just that -- salvation -- for us spiritually. 

• What we know about wells generally (that they access water that is underground) and Isaac's experience with them tells us that finding those wells of salvation may require effort on our part. For some it is the culmination of years of searching. 

• Like wells were the hub of community life in Palestine, the "wells of salvation" are the center around which relationships develop as we meet God and get to know Him and each other in the community of believers, the church. 

• Should we stray, hopefully we would be like David hankering after water from the Bethlehem well, as we remember and long for the sweet living water of the salvation wells that satisfied like no other.

Let's drink from the wells of salvation today — the water of forgiveness and cleansing, the assurance of eternal life, the comfort of God's presence in the indwelling Holy Spirit who is our comforter, counselor, teacher...drinking deep from all the things that salvation means.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for salvation and what it means for me in everyday life. Help me to never view it casually or take it for granted. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 111

MORE:  Isaiah 12:3 - illuminated

"A kneeling figure looks up to Christ and points at a man who draws water issuing from the foot of the crucifix. Christ looks out from Heaven towards a lamb and crucifix. The crucifix and lamb are not mentioned in the text, but are an interpretation of the word "Savior". (From Biblical Art on the WWW.)

"You shall draw the waters with joy from the Saviour’s fountains" -Unknown illustrator of St. Alban's Psalter' - England first half of 12th century.

"You shall draw the waters with joy from the Saviour’s fountains" -Unknown illustrator of St. Alban's Psalter' - England first half of 12th century.

*********************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Come!

Jesus welcomes children - Paul Chenavard

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 11:20-30

TO CHEW ON: "'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'" Matthew 11:28

How welcoming is the word come, especially when Jesus is saying it. Some other 'comes' in the Bible illustrate the welcoming heart of God.

• God invited Noah into a safe place when He said to him, " ' Come into the ark, you and all your household' " - Genesis 7:1

• " ' Come with us and we will treat you well,' " Moses said to Hobab, his Midianite brother-in-law in an invitation to join with the Israelites as they journeyed through the desert - Numbers 10:29.

• 'No one left out'  Hezekiah's invitation to the distant tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh seemed to say, when he invited them to "...come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem" - 2 Chronicles 30:1.

• Come for personal cleansing God invites us all through Isaiah - Isaiah 1:18.

• Come for provision that brings lasting satisfaction: "Come to the waters … Come buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk. Without money and without price" - Isaiah 55:1.

• " 'Come to Me,' " Jesus invites here, " '… and I will give you rest.' " [Rest = anapauo  = to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength; to give rest, refresh, to give one's self rest, take rest; to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation The word describes a cessation of toil, a refreshment, an intermission.] 

• Jesus' invitation included children: " ' Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them...' " Luke 18:16.

• Come all who are willing is the invitation of the king to a great supper in Jesus' parable about the kingdom of heaven: "Come for all things are now ready" - Luke 16:24.

• And the Bible ends with this wonderful invitation for all who hear, who thirst, who desire: "And the Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears, say 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely" - Revelation 22:17.

What is our need today? A safe place of eternal well-being? Somewhere to belong? Cleansing? Provision? Rest? Whatever it is, God's invitation is still "Come."

PRAYER: Dear Jesus thank You for these words of invitation and the wide-open-arms message of Your life on earth. As your modern disciple may I make it a habit to come to You first with my needs, and invite others to do the same. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Are you thirsty?

Bridal Veil Falls, BC, Canada

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 7:32-52

TO CHEW ON: "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

A description of one of the Feast of Tabernacle customs gives us the context for Jesus' outburst:

"Each day during the Feast of Tabernacles a joyous celebration was observed in which the priests brought water (symbolic of the water supplied from the rock - Exodus 17) to the temple from the pool of Siloam in a golden pitcher. During the procession the people recited Isaiah 12:3 ["Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."]. The water was poured out on the altar as an offering to God while the people shouted and sang. Jesus was the fulfillment of that ceremony typified (see 1 Corinthians 10:4)" - Siegfried Schatzmann, notes on John, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1457.

Knowing about this custom helps us understand the impact Jesus' words must have had on that crowd with their rich culture of water. For in addition to God supplying water during its scarcity during their wilderness wanderings, their scriptures were full of references to it:

• As part of God's shepherding of them - Psalm 23:2.

• As a source of life in desert places - Isaiah 35:6.

• As flowing freely in a longed-for future - Isaiah 49:10.

• As a prophetic invitation from God to an abundant life - Isaiah 55:1.

• As a coming-home destination after repentance - Jeremiah 17:13; 31:9.

The beautiful thing for us is the promise, in verse 38, that our belief in Christ leads to rivers of living water flowing from our lives by the Holy Spirit. Is it happening?

Our Bible commenter expresses these good thoughts:

"Those who are satisfied by Jesus will themselves become channels of spiritual refreshment for others. The figure of rivers contrasts with "a fountain" (John 4:14), illustrating the difference between one's new birth and one's experience of the overflowing fullness of the Spirit-filled life" - Ibid (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for being living water. May my thirsts be satisfied in You. And please flow rivers of water through me. I want to be a channel of Holy Spirit refreshment to others. Amen.

MORE: "All Who are Thirsty" by Robin Mark

Living water life

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 4:1-20

TO CHEW ON: " ' Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.' " John 14:13,14

What an offer! Who wouldn't want this water, especially in the dry, thirsty Samaria of Jesus' time? Of course we know Jesus was speaking metaphorically (though by the woman's reaction, it seems she didn't pick that up right away). But what did He mean by living water inside oneself, becoming a fountain "... 'springing up into everlasting life' "?

Water imagery flows through the Bible.

• Psalm 110 (titled "Announcement of Messiah's Reign" in my Bible) speaks of the brook that revives: "He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head" - Psalm 110:7.

• Isaiah talks about joyfully drawing water from wells of salvation - Isaiah 12:3.

• Ezekiel sees a vision of a healing river that gives life to all it touches - Ezekiel 47:9.

• Here in John 4, Jesus promises an inner, self-replenishing fountain that springs up into everlasting life.

• Later Jesus calls out during the Feast of Tabernacles: " ' 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. Then John adds an author's aside that sheds light on the source of this river: "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive" - John 7:39 (emphasis added).

This was prophesied too:

"For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring" - Isaiah 44:3.

We could say, I think,  that to the extent that the Spirit has access to and control over our lives, living water will be a fountain within and flow out of us.

We can, of course, shut Him down too if we rebel against (Isaiah 63:10), blaspheme (Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:29), lie to (Acts 5:3), resist (Acts 7:51), grieve (Ephesians 4:30), insult  (Hebrews 10:29) and quench Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19).


PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please have full access to my life. I want it to be part of that living water stream that flows through the centuries into eternity. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Exploring some Bible images

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 21:22-22:5

TO CHEW ON: “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” Revelation 21:23

One of a poet’s tools to enrich and thicken a piece of writing is to plant within it allusions to past works of great literature and art. In that department, John’s vision of the New Jerusalem here is a visual poem that has those of us who love the Bible and its images in a tizzy of making connections. Here are a few, made with just three images from this passage:

LIGHT - Revelation 21:23,24; 22:5

• Light is the first thing God created - Genesis 1:3.

• God led Israel through their wilderness wanderings with a cloud that lit up at night - Exodus 13:2122.

• Light shone from Moses’ face after he had been with God - Exodus 34:29-35.

• Lights accompanied the announcement of Jesus’ birth - Matthew 2:1,2; Luke 2:9.

• Jesus declared Himself the light of the world - John 8:12.

• Light shone brilliantly at His transfiguration - Matthew 17:2.

• The light was snuffed out at His death - Mark 15:33.

NO MORE EVIL - Revelation 21:27; 22:3.

• The “curse” (Revelation 22:3) was first pronounced in Genesis 3:14-19.

• The giving of the Ten Commandments that help us understand God’s standard of right and wrong - Exodus 20:1-17.

• The rules of washing and purification that accompanied the Jewish sacrificial system (found throughout its descriptions, e.g. Numbers 8:6,7,15,21).

• Christ’s higher-than-the-law standard of right and wrong - Matthew 5,6,7.

• Christ’s blood shed to wash away and cleanse the stain of our sin - 1 John 1:7.

WATER - Revelation 22:1,2

• The river of life-giving water in Ezekiel’s vision - Ezekiel 47:1-12 (this vision also has a temple and healing trees in it).

• Jesus promised the Samaritan woman living water - John 4:13,14.

• Jesus invited all to come to Him to drink and themselves become sources of living water - John 7:37,38.

I'm sure you could find more connections to the items I've chosen and we could choose more items and continue to make connections. The Bible has many references to the temple, gates, nations, healing, the Lamb’s Book of Life, the Tree of Life. (Maybe you'd like to work on those!)

These connections are what make the Bible such a rich and exciting book. They leave me in awe and wonder and praise—what depth, what a consistent message flowing through 66 books despite a variety of writers, what a Master Author!


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your amazing Word, presented to us through so many writers. Help me to hear what You are saying—today about light, purity, living water—and apply these things to my life. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cisterns or fountains?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 2:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters and hewn themselves cisterns — broken cisterns that can hold no water." Jeremiah 2:13

This passage speaks of where we find our satisfaction. Actually it's more than satisfaction because it speaks of finding water. That's something we not only like to drink but we must have for life. While a human body can survive up to five weeks without food, it can only survive days (three to four) without water.

Given a choice, wouldn't we rather drink water from a sparkling fountain that flows fresh and in an endless supply than from a cistern? Such man-made water storage systems contain water that is stagnant. Over time the water is used up and needs to be replenished.

Here Jeremiah contrasts the two water sources as a way to describe where the people are getting their spiritual needs met. His word picture prompts me to ask, where do I go to get my spiritual needs met? To cisterns of my own making?

Is my work a cistern? Is my family? Are my friendships?

Perhaps one way to find out is by taking all the stuff that fills us up—the ability to work and find pleasure in it, our enjoyment of relationships, the pleasures of the sensory world—and imagining them absent. Would we still have something?

And how do we keep the good, legitimate things in life from becoming cisterns?  Perhaps one way is to drink long and deep from the living water at the beginning of each day. Then with our bellies full we won't be craving the other kind.

PRAYER: Dear God, I think of all the things I enjoy -- potential cisterns. Help me to make them secondary to finding my most vital satisfaction in You. May my satisfaction from the living fountain make the enjoyment of everyday things keener. Amen.

********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.