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
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Here God promises to be there. The well is not dry we just need to work for it a bit. We need to seek Him and he will be there. Sure it will take some risk. The best example of this I can think of is in tithing. We believe we can barely make ends meet as it is. Tithing will take away whatever wiggle room there is in the budget so we naturally give less to God.
Yet God says in Malachi 3:10
New International Version (NIV)
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
We hear this but here is the water we have in the bottle. There is just so much and if I pour it into the pump, well then who knows. Better not risk it.
Remember, a couple of weeks ago we talked about the temptations Satan used on Jesus? Remember, how when Satan told him to jump off the building? Jesus’ response was “Do not put God to the test.” In scripture, there is only one exception to that rule. Tithing! Here God challenges us, asks us, requires us to test Him. “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Yet, how many of us hold the little bit we have because we don’t really trust God enough to even try.
Remember, in order to receive God’s blessing we must be willing to do our part. We need to seek Him out. We need to grab that handle and pump like crazy. Trusting and knowing by faith that the living waters will flow!
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
We need to actively strive to give up our sinful ways. We must walk the straight path. And repent when we fail to do so. And the more we strive to be in a true relationship with Him. The easier it will be to recognize the blessings He bestows.
Yes, I know, our sinful natures keep make our hearts and minds skeptical about these scriptures. We want to keep what we believe is ours. We don’t want to risk the lifestyle that we are comfortable with, even though God promises us so much more. It is hard to wrap our heads around it.
God understands and asks us to trust. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
This morning as we respond to God’s Word with communion, let us covenant with Him once again and put our trust and faith in Him. Amen.
