We’ve just had an amazing holiday. Four of the highlights of our holiday involved water. In each case the area immediately around the water was really dry. The water had either travelled long distances in creeks and rivers or had come from deep underground. The results were amazing.
The life and beauty generated by the water attracts people from all over our country to these places. The vegetation, birds, and fish that are part of the spectacle are all dependent on the water but, no doubt, don’t give it a thought, just take it for granted.
We’re also dependent on water and can’t live without it. We might also take that for granted but we shouldn’t.
Water is one of God’s good gifts. All the water we saw on our holiday fell as rain at some stage even if it was no where near where we saw it or many years before. Without continuing rain all these places would eventually go dry. Thank God for his life-giving rains.
God declares his commitment to supply the needy with water through the prophet Isaiah. He says,
When the poor and needy are dying of thirst and cannot find water, I, the Lord God of Israel, will come to their rescue. I won’t forget them. I will make rivers flow on mountain peaks. I will send streams to fill the valleys.
Dry and barren land will flow with springs and become a lake. Isaiah 41:17f
We saw some examples of this prophecy fulfilled at Innamincka, Lawn Hill National Park (pictured), Dalhousie Springs, and Lake Eyre. Amazing!
Even more amazing is the living water that wells up within us, the Holy Spirit, to satisfy our spiritual thirst. John records these words for our encouragement,
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.” Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him. John 7:37-39a
God supply your needs and quench your thirsts, today and always!
My dwelling place
by Jim Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Lord, you have been my dwelling place throughout all generations (Psalm 90:1).
Read Psalm 90:1–8,12
When our daughter was very young, and we came ‘home’ from Papua New Guinea on leave, she got confused. One night, we found her whimpering in her bed, and when we asked her what was bothering her, she said she felt bewildered. We talked about going ‘home’ to Australia, and we talked about how we would soon be going ‘home’ to Papua New Guinea. So, where is home? We told her that wherever the three of us are, that’s home. Home is where she belongs, is safe, secure, and at ease.
The psalmist says that God has been his people’s home for all generations, their dwelling place. It’s where they rest. It’s where they feel safe. It’s where they belong. It is home.
What a wonderful thing to say about our God. When we get to the latter part of our lives, we realise how fragile life is. For those of us at this stage, we become aware that we are spending more and more of our time at funerals. One by one, people we knew, grew up with and made friends with, even members of our own families, die. But there is comfort. God is eternal, and his presence with us never diminishes.
He has been our home through all the days of our lives; he is our home now, and he will be the one we go home to when the time comes for us to die. It’s okay. We don’t need to be anxious. We don’t need to curl up into ourselves to feel secure. God sees us, knows us, loves us and wants to be our dwelling place today, tomorrow and always.
Dwell in God as he dwells in you. In Revelation 21:3, a voice describing the end of time says, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with [people] and he will live with them.’ His home will be our home and our home his. How good is that?
Loving God, I rest in you. In you, I find the place where I belong. Thank you. Amen.
Jim is a retired pastor living with his wife Ruth in Deception Bay, Queensland. He spends his retirement making space to add more Lions’ premiership posters to the six (3+3) he already has on his garage wall.
Live what you know
by Jim Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard, obey it and repent (Revelation 3:3a).
Read Revelation 3:1–6
If you grew up in a Christian family with a strong connection to a Christian church, you may have been taught, over and over again, about God’s acts in the past and what he can do in the present. If you are newer to the faith, perhaps you also heard the message and felt convicted.
Many, many years ago, when I was confirmed, the process that qualified (!) me for confirmation was my ability to repeat things I had learnt off by heart. In my ministry, I encouraged young people to express their faith in their own words. Not just head knowledge, but something heartfelt. There’s a difference.
In this passage, the church at Sardis is encouraged to remember what it has received and to live that out. Sardis was a famous and wealthy city. It would have been easy for the people of that city to be influenced by what was around them. They gave the appearance of being alive in faith – that was their reputation, but the call is for them to be real. If it meant repentance, then repent. Some weren’t influenced by what was around them but were faithful. God acknowledged them.
The focus is on living what you know. Would you say your faith is more than words, more than head knowledge, more than the Bible verses you can recite, but rather something that impacts all of your life? Is it evident in how you trust when you are anxious, how you hear the word of forgiveness and allow it to cover you, and how you love your neighbour and so show your love for God? To receive something is to be given a gift. You have that gift. Let it define you. Live it. God’s Spirit is with you, working to bring what you know to life. Your name is in the book of life and will never be blotted out.
Thank you, loving God, for revealing yourself to me. As I grow in knowledge and understanding, help me to live that out. Help me to be true to what I am. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Jim is a retired pastor living with his wife Ruth in Deception Bay, Queensland. He spends his retirement making space to add more Lions’ premiership posters to the six (3+3) he already has on his garage wall.
Stay confident
by Jim Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded (Hebrews 10:35).
Read Hebrews 10:32–39
You know, of course, that any moment could be your last, no matter your age. Does that scare you? There’s a saying: ‘Live each day as though it were your last.’ That helps us value and treasure each moment and makes us more determined to live worthwhile lives. I prefer: ‘Live each day as though it were your first.’ The joy of discovery, the newness all around you, the learning you can do, the relationships that can deepen.
The same applies when we think about the end of all things and Christ’s promised return. You can live apprehensively, or you can live with the confidence that God is with you in everything, cares about you and never abandons you.
Look at the attitude the writer of Hebrews encourages in their readers. See how they lived even when terrible times came upon them. Exposed to insult and persecuted, they stood side by side with those who were ill-treated, felt sympathy for the imprisoned and were joyful even when things were taken away from them. So they are encouraged to remain confident in their loving God. They are encouraged not to shrink back because they can be sure of their salvation (a word which, in a general sense, means ‘wellbeing’).
As you get older, you can look at the death notices in the paper, and if your name isn’t there, then be sure you are still alive! This day is a gift. Each day is a gift. God is here; he is with you, so trust in him. He is a good God. This reminds me of a chorus of a song: ‘All my life, you’ve been faithful. All my life, you’ve been so, so good.’
This week’s readings about Christ’s second coming aren’t meant to cause fear. They remind us that God does things in his time. So let him, and enjoy life in the meantime.
Thank you, God, for all your promises. They give me such confidence that all my days are gifts given by you. Help me to find joy in each day, trusting in your goodness. Amen.
Jim is a retired pastor living with his wife Ruth in Deception Bay, Queensland. He spends his retirement making space to add more Lions’ premiership posters to the six (3+3) he already has on his garage wall.