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John 4:14 – But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (ESV)
By seven o'clock in the morning, I am on my way to the kitchen, whereas Caroline has already washed, dressed, eaten, read a book, and is well on her way to work. Consequently, it falls to me to round up the children, dispense breakfast to Sophia and Zoë, and then get us ready for school and out of the house, come rain or shine.
I am not an early riser, so I am not at my best first thing. Today, in the midst of working on auto-pilot, a small corner of my hazy mind muses upon some personnel changes in the church about which I am concerned.
By now, I am sorting out the drinks and toast. I need to get Sophia a pink cup and Zoë a blue one — those being the only clean ones left, apart from the horde waiting to be unloaded from the dishwasher — further down my list of the morning's "to do"s.
In the middle of pouring into the second cup, a thought bubbles up: Does it really matter what colour the cup is? The children may express a preference, but the important thing is that they both get to have a drink, rather than who gets what colour cup!
What is the right priority here? I thought. Drink.
So Rod, does it really matter who, where, why, or how God has chosen for His Holy Spirit to reside? As long as God is taken to the lost and saved, why worry what format, colour, or shape the church takes, whether as individuals or as a corporate body? The need is for people to drink.
The kingdom of God is simple and deep, radically changing our lives, by the power of the Holy Spirit, if we let Him. Whether we are in the pink or just blue, what Jesus pours inside is the same life-giving water.
Prayer: Lord, we want to see Jesus honoured and reverenced because You are a holy God and that is Your right. Yet we wish also to see the same Jesus of the well in Samaria touching the lost and building bridges, reaching through us into the profane world in which we live. As we ask it, having cleansed us from our sins, please pour Your presence into us. We know that He Who is in us is greater and more important than anything, so by Your grace, may we be fit to carry life-giving water into the lives that nudge us today. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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Well said Rod.
Very well put Rod.
Thank you Rod for your words. Blessings.
Well said, Rod. Thank you for a thought-provoking message.
Thanks Rod, we are often too ‘discerning’ of our own preferences as to where we share the Gospel.
Interesting analogy Rod. Nice to see one from you.
Hopefully your church concerns have been resolved.
Welcome back to the Daily Devotional. I stayed in Victoria for a few days. Learned my lesson very quickly. Didn’t realize I was a lot older than when I first moved here.
Colour doesn’t matter at all. What is right is our need for God, and for all His promises to us. How can we ever count the blessings we receive? Thanks for your devotional.
(BC, Canada)
Dear Rod,
Thank you for your message today.
It is good to see you back to writing.
God bless.
Rod
Good thought — I did struggle a little in the change of the cups colour and your children, but your prayer solved it all. Thanks be to God and His Grace, that we are left to tell the story of Jesus. God Bless.
Hi Rod, I enjoyed your devotion this morning here in Canada. I am at a point on my life journey where I need to make a decisions and your devotion gives me cause to think and reflect. I read another devotion this morning as well and the quote at the end said “When you drink from the stream, remember the spring” Anonymous. Thanks.
“Touching the lost,” “building bridges,” “reaching through us.”
What a perfect way to describe the huge yearning that is in us! I love your analogy, that different ‘styles’ aren’t the main issue; that being fed and given/receiving the living water is the whole issue. Thanks so much for your (usual) wonderful analogy.
HI Rod,
Your devotionals are always a welcome way for me to start the day.
Thanks sharing your thoughts which always cause my mind to do a bit of work!
So powerful and a good reminder for me today! Thanks Rod.
Blessings.
Thank you so much for your thoughts about priorities. I always appreciate your devotionals and also appreciate hearing snippets of your family news.
I do want to welcome you back to the Daily Devotional.
I can imagine the hustle and bustle in your home each morning. Can be fun but very frustrating, too. I can’t recall where Caroline is working but she, probably, has a long day, as well. No doubt you find it difficult to focus with so much to do.
Shalom,
(BC)