More Than Enough

More Than Enough

Last week we talked about seeking the Lord being thirsty and hungering for the actual presence of the Lord in our worship, our church and our lives, which reminded me of a story I heard at my High School graduation.

A man on the road in the desert passes by a gas station and as he looks at his gas gage and the what he considers a very high price for gas, decides he has enough to make it to the next station. So that morning he passes the station and heads out into the desert. The road is long and flat. And on this particular morning there are very few other cars on the road. About 50 miles later, he notices that there have been no other gas stations on the road. And now he must find a station soon. Not far up the road there is a crossroads and a sign pointing south to a small town.

By this time the sun is up and the heat of the desert has raised to well above 90 degrees. And as he turns toward the town, he realizes why the gas prices were so high. He was the only station for miles. As his car rolls to a stop, The man notices a rundown farmhouse about a mile away.

As he walks in the heat of the day he becomes more and more thirsty. And the closer he gets to the house, the more it is evident that the house is abandoned. Yet in front of the house there is one of those old hand pump wells. By this time he is more than just a little bit thirsty. He is very thirsty and as he gets closer he runs to the pump and begins to crank up and down. It makes a dry rubbing sound, but no water. Exhausted, and tired, he collapses by the pump. But there by the pump is a laminated sign attached to the pump. It Read,” This pump works! But first it has to be primed. Underneath the third plank, you will find a corked bottle of water. DO NOT DRINK ANY OF THE WATER IN THE BOTTLE. If you do, the next poor soul will have to walk 10 more miles before reaching town! Pour the entire bottle into the top of the pump. You must pour it all in or it will not work! Then pump like crazy! Soon you will have more than enough water to satisfy your needs with plenty to spare! Then when you have drank your fill, refill the bottle, cork it and return it to the place you found for the next traveler.” God Bless

Let us put ourselves in the place of the traveler. #1 he made a bad choice. He should have gotten Gas when he had the chance. But he refused. So it was by his choice he was in such a situation. So it is by the grace of the land owner that he has the opportunity to get the water. #2 Now that he has read the note, he has to trust that the prime water is there. It is quite possible that the bottle is gone. Perhaps it is empty. It could all be for nothing if the bottle is gone or empty.

But lets say that the bottle is there. It is full just like the note said. You have three choices. #1 Drink the water, save yourself. You are thirsty, you need it. A bird in the hand so to speak. But if you drink the water, the next poor fool who gets stuck is out of luck. Or you could drink part of it. A little water may get you by. The pump may still work despite the warning. If it doesn’t both you and the next person is in trouble.

Or #3 He could, choose to trust the note and pour the water into the pump. But it takes more than just risking the water in hand. Now you have to do the work. And Pump like crazy!

Then once the water is flowing and you have had plenty to drink, you need to care enough for the next guy to refill the bottle, cork it and put it back.

So what would you do? And what would you hope the previous guy did? I said we must thirst for the Lord, if we are ever going to move from the anointing of God into the Living presence of God in our lives and our church.

This morning’s scripture from Isaiah, show us that seeking God is never in vain.

“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk