Apr 7 - "Living Water"

Philippians 3:15-21
"But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself."
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Have you ever been humiliated? Or maybe just embarrassed? I'm not necessarily talking about events from our childhood, where a cruel joke was played; or the time we cut our own hair and the kids at school had a laugh. I am also not speaking of the humilation Michigan State fans feel today after the beating they took from North Carolina last night. Most likely, as adults, we have not experienced a deep feeling of humiliation; being ridiculed for something we are or we believe. In today's politically correct society, it is rare for another individual to make an open and brutal mockery of another, except on "reality" TV or when accosted by an over-served bar fly.

One of the main reasons we may not suffer such abject humiliation is because we rarely put ourselves in situations which would expose us to such treatment. We move along through life, not putting ourselves "out there" most of the time. We temper our strongest beliefs lest we offend, or be called to task on justifying what we feel.

As I considered starting these writings back at the beginning of Lent, I did hesitate even letting people know I was doing this. But at some point, I knew posting them on the web, putting a link on my Facebook page, telling people about it was what God had written on my heart to do. For many years, I have thought about the things God speaks to us as words not necessarily meant just for our own ears. Things become more real when you speak them out loud; write them down.

One of my favorite concepts written about in Scripture is the Living Water. Christ is described this way, as is His counterpart within the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Think about water. When a crisp, clean spring-fed stream flows down the side of a mountain, it has life. It bubbles, it falls, it moves...it brings life to the things it touches. God's Word is like this; as it comes to each of us, it brings life. It changes that with which it comes into contact.

Eventually, the mountainside waterfall ends in a beautiful pool. Calm, peaceful and lovely. But what happens if that same water, so full of life, stays in the pool? It stops moving, and without movement, water can become stagnant. As it stands still, it can become bitter, almost poisonous. The Living Water is like this too. If we do not share it, open ourselves to the chance of it not being received in a welcoming way, it too can loose its life and become stale.

So, risk humiliation and embarrassment. Take the Living Water in, drink deeply of its cool and nourishing freshness. Allow it to refresh you. But, don't let it become stagnant. Move it along; keep it full of life by passing it onto your friends, family, anyone. For by moving God's Word on to others, we allow new Living Water to come into us, and to be refreshed again and again.