DAILY DEVOTION

DAILY DEVOTION No. 17

WATER FOR THE THIRSTY

Isaiah 41:17-18 - “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst, I, the Lord will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them, I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

There are so many people living close to all of us who are thirsty for something to satisfy the longing of their soul. People who are dying inside and have looked in every direction for something or someone to bring an answer to their dilemma. Each of us individually as part of the world-wide church, have a responsibility to bring a message of hope to these people and are to begin to allow God’s Spirit to flow through us, so they will receive Christ, the Fountain of Living Water.

Let us look at this challenge by taking an analogy from 2 Kings 2:19-22. In verse 19 we read, “Then the men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.”

To draw a similarity, the city or country where you live is probably quite pleasant from the outside looking in, however, it is filled with people that are drawing from the contaminated waters of this life; things of the world that only lead to barrenness and eventually, to death. They have sought satisfaction in so many places but this world can never satisfy. All they have received is a mouth full of gravel and sand - a mirage as it were. So many around us are dying spiritually and on their way to hell.

Then in verse 20 we read, “And he said “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it. So they brought it to him.” We were once lost and dying from sin, but now, we who have received Christ are a new bowl, brand new creations. We are the salt of the earth. Salt is attributed with having healing properties and used in preservation - it helps prevent decay. In other words, we as new creatures in Christ are to be a preserving influence on others, preventing spiritual purification and moral decay. Our conduct and speech should always be in good taste, considerate, wholesome, and tend towards preserving the life of others.

Taking it further, in verse 21 it says, “Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.” Elisha went out to the source. He didn’t just stay in his house and say “Be healed in God’s name”, he had to take action and go to the source of the problem. We are to go out into the community and through Christ, bring healing to those contaminated by sin and barren. We are to find the source of peoples' problem, which is sin, and bring a message that things can change as they give their lives over to the Saviour. Christ has given all of us the commission to “Go and make disciples”. It is not just for the evangelist, it is not just for the outgoing, charismatic personality. We have all received the mandate from the King and He wants to see His Kingdom come to the entire planet.

Christ was saying “Go into all the world” - another paraphrase is go into your world - the world where you live - your home, your workplace, your school, your university, the shopping centre where you shop. As one person quoted “Jesus Christ didn’t commit the Gospel to an advertising agency; He commissioned disciples. And He didn’t command them to put up signs and pass out tracts; He said that they would be His witnesses.” We have a well springing up within us that will never run dry and we need to share Christ with them so that they will experience this living water. He wants each one of us to be a pool of water in the wilderness and a spring of refreshing in the dry land.

One thing that helps us see the need to reach others is when we have a fresh glimpse of where we have come from and what God has saved us from. Imagine, an eternity by yourself in complete darkness, no one to talk to, just in complete darkness on your own forever. That is what God has saved us from and that’s why we need to pull others from sliding into Hell. We are to go to the source of there contamination. We must, through the power of the Holy Spirit, tackle the root cause of people’s problems. We should be asking the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation to release through us the prophetic ministry of the Holy Spirit, so that no longer people are held in bondage to sin.

We must remember that as we refresh others with the living water we have experienced, we are refreshed ourselves. God pours out His spirit on us in abundance. As we give out more, He pours in more. He wants each of us to bear fruit. Not to hide our light under a bushel. Not to keep the blessing to ourselves.

Challenge

Will you be a stream of refreshing in the wilderness? Will you be poured out as a drink offering for others so that they will be refreshed and receive God's life giving water?

Prayer

Lord, give me a heart for others. Let me be salt and light in a world that needs your life giving water. Lord I make myself available to You for You to use me to reach others with this message of hope.

Rod Best