The true living water John 4
John 4:14 Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst, not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life." [15] The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't ever get thirsty, won't ever have to come back to this well again!" [19] "Oh, so you're a prophet! [24] God is sheer being itself, Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." [28] The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, [29] "Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?" [30] And they went out to see for themselves. [31] In the meantime, the disciples pressed him, "Rabbi, eat. Aren't you going to eat?" [32] He told them, "I have food to eat you know nothing about." [34] Jesus said, "The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. [35] As you look around right now, wouldn't you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I'm telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what's right in front of you. It's harvest time! [39] Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman's witness: "He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!" [40] They asked him to stay on, so Jesus stayed two days. [41] A lot more people entrusted their lives to him when they heard what he had to say. [42] They said to the woman, "We're no longer taking this on your say-so. We've heard it for ourselves and know it for sure. He's the Savior of the world!"
1. A true believer has a real purpose for his life.
2 Tm. 3: 16-17. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
A SWEET AROMA by Tracie Miles "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness." Galatians 5:22
A sweet thing happened recently. It was Sunday morning at church, and the congregation was standing, singing hymns. My precious little boy was beside me with his arms wrapped around my waist. Every few minutes, he pressed his face into my shirt. After several times, I finally determined he was sniffing me, so I leaned down and quietly asked why. He stood on his tip toes, put his face close to mine and whispered, "Because you smell like fruit, Mommy! It smells really good!" I smiled and knew what he smelled was one of my favorite perfumes which has a clean, sweet, fruity aroma.
God turned my thoughts to how we're to be a pleasing aroma to Him, through thoughts, actions and behaviors carried out in the Spirit. EPH 5:2 encourages us to "...live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God".
What does that really mean? How can we offer a fragrant offering that is pleasing to God and be a fragrance to those around us? There is a Hawaiian saying, "Tiny is the flower, yet it scents the grasses around it." What a great illustration of how the smallest things can have impactful results. The fact that the flower is small and seemingly insignificant, does not keep it from spreading the fragrance it was created to share. In fact, often the smallest flower can have the most potent fragrance! Sometimes we may feel like a tiny flower. We wonder if we are really capable of doing anything big or important for Christ. Insecurities, feelings of unworthiness or life challenges prevent us from seeing how God can use us to bless Him and impact others. It is not the size of the actions that matter, but the aroma that is created by those actions. Each time we do with the fruit of the Spirit we offer a fragrant offering to God. And we help others learn how to be a little fragrant flower too, in a big world that can be pretty stinky. Each one of us can choose what fragrance we give off. It might be a good idea to ask from time to time, What type of fragrance am I leaving behind? How am I affecting the world around me with the gifts God gave me? Am I giving off a spiritual aroma that is a fragrant offering to Christ? Our lasting fragrance should be one of love and kindness, not anger and harshness. Patience and faithfulness, not intolerance and selfishness. And lifting people's spirits with joy and peace, not leaving them discouraged and broken. Our fragrance should be sowing seeds that point to the goodness of Christ. When God created flowers, He intentionally created them to give off a sweet aroma. And He created us just the same. So, what fragrance are you wearing today?
A. A true believer lives a holy life that is complete in Christ. RM 6:12-14 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”
The best “New Year’s Resolution” comes directly from the apostle Paul in 1 COR. 2:2. Like Paul let us this year “resolve to know nothing but Christ and him crucified.” Paul’s message is radically simple: Salvation is in Christ alone. What does this mean? You see it’s not Christ plus your good performance or conduct or activities or behavior. It’s not Christ plus the years you taught a Bible study. It’s not Christ plus your tithe or offerings. It’s not Christ plus the church you attend. It’s not Christ plus the number of verses you memorize. It’s not Christ plus wisdom from the latest Christian seminar. It’s not Christ plus a fast. It’s not Christ plus a good driving record. It’s not Christ plus well-behaved children. It’s not Christ plus the right job. It’s not Christ plus the right spouse. It’s not Christ plus the latest technology. It’s simply Christ plus nothing. That’s a message that is as right throughout the coming year. May your new resolution for the year be nothing but Christ and him crucified.
LET IT GO FOR 2010!
If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to...LET IT GO!
If you are holding on to past hurts and pains...LET IT GO!
If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...LET IT GO!
If someone has angered you...LET IT GO!
If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge...LET IT GO!
If you are involved in a wrong, relationship or addiction...LET IT GO!
If you have a bad attitude...LET IT GO!
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better...LET IT GO!
If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him...LET IT GO!
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship...LET IT GO!
If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves...LET IT GO!
If you're feeling depressed and stressed...LET IT GO!
Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for 2010! LET IT GO!
B. Our works come from our faith in Christ. JM 2:18-24 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was recognized to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. HB 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Because God loves me, He is slow to lose patience with me. Because God loves me, He takes the circumstances of my life and uses them in a constructive way for my growth. Because God loves me, He is for me. He wants to see me mature and develop in His love. Because God loves me, He does not send down His wrath on every little mistake I make, of which there are many. Because God loves me, He does not keep score of all my sins and then beat me over the head with them whenever He gets the chance. Because God loves me, He is deeply grieved when I do not walk in the ways that please Him because He sees this as evidence that I don’t trust Him and love Him as I should. Because God loves me, He keeps on trusting me when at times I don’t even trust myself. Because God loves me, He never says there is no hope for me; rather, He patiently works with me, loves me, and disciplines me in such a way that it is hard for me to understand the depth of His concern for me. Because God loves me, He never forsakes me even though many of my friends might. Because God loves me, He stands with me when I have reached the rock bottom of despair, when I see the real me and compare that with His righteousness, holiness, beauty, and love. It is at a moment like this that I can really believe that God loves me. Yes, the greatest of all gifts is God’s perfect love!
3. A true believer is making progress in his life in Christ.
a. His faith grows because he takes time to read his Bible. RM 10: 17 consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
He goes to church HB 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” If Christ went to church and He was holy and with out sin should not we who are born with sin in our hearts have a need to attend church. One of the signs of the before the second coming of Christ is that people will grow cold in their worship. I have seen this in churches I have pastored and though just going to church does not make us a Christian I have come to know that those who leave off attending church have many spiritual problems because they are weak in their faith. Maybe you heard about the minister that went to a church member who had not been attending faithfully and gave an example by using the coals in his fire place.
he sees answers to his prayers. 1 jn 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of him. Ps 91:15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. IS 65:24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. JER 33:3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and mighty things you do not know.' LK 11:9-10 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
He gives what God directs him to give.
1 CHR 29:9 The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. PRO 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces. DT 16:17 All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God. 1 CO 16:2 On every Lord's Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. 2 CO. 9:7 You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully.
B. A true believer has what is greater than all this world can give because what we have here is passing away. MT 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. LK 9:25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 1 JN 2:17 And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. LK 16:26 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
I Choose
It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments, the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours, I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose:
I CHOOSE to LOVE... No occasion gives good reason for hate; no unfairness warrants ill will. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I CHOOSE JOY... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstances. I will refuse the temptation to be unsure, the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than people created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I CHOOSE PEACE... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I CHOOSE PATIENCE... I will overlook the trouble of the world. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I CHOOSE KINDNESS... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I CHOOSE GOODNESS... I will be unnoticed before I will boast. I will confess before I will blame.
I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My friends will not question my word. My spouse will not question my love. My children will never fear their parent but will know that they are loved.
I CHOOSE GENTLENESS... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I tighten my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only to myself.
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL... I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not rule the eternal. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be enthusiastic only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God and His Word. I will be taught only by Christ.
To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest with the peace that passes all understanding.
It's not enough to splash a little prayer on in the morning or to run through a sprinkler of God's mercy now and then. It's not enough to dabble our spirits in an hour of worship on Sunday or to dash into a drizzle of teaching every month or so. Our souls need to soak in God's presence. It's no luxury, this time we spend in the healing waters of God's grace. It's neither excess nor indulgence to immerse ourselves in communion with our Creator. It's a spiritual necessity if we want to become the people God has created
us to be. Penelope J. Stokes
