He is the Water of Life

 Isaiah 41:18
I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

When going on a hike through the mountains, I always like to find trails that take me to water. It may be a creek, or a lake in the valley, or a waterfall high in the mountains. There is something about water that is calming as I sit and watch it move down the valley creek, or see the reflection of the mountains on the lake surface. The Bible is filled with analogies of water that represents the life-giving presence of God. Jesus said, “​​But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Jesus is the answer to all who are thirsting for more than what this world has to offer. He is the river to anyone who will seek Him. To the rich in high places, He is there, to those in the valley of despair, He gives hope, to those lost in the wilderness of sin, He brings new life, and to those who are going through hard times, He is a spring of water that will revive the soul.  His presence comes in different forms. It may be a river, fountain, pool, spring, or even a well. We are all given the opportunity to avail ourselves of the water of life that flows from the heart of God.

Conform Not

 Romans 12:2
​​Do not be conformed to this world,  but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..

The pressure to conform to the WOK ideology has never been greater. The freedom to believe and think according to one's own conscience only applies to those who conform to the political correctness of this present culture. The world is defined in scripture as a life living in opposition to God’s moral law and the teachings of Jesus. The philosophy of the world is to trust the arm of the flesh and believe that self is the supreme god that rules. Every man doing that seems right in their own sight. As Christians, we are not to conform to the thinking of this world that is contrary to what is good and holy and acceptable to God. We are to present our lives as a living sacrifice to God. This is the will of God, that His people be transformed, set apart from sin, transformed by His grace, showing forth the gifts of God given to each one of us. The carnal mind has been renewed into the mind of Christ. Our lives are transformed, and seek to be more like Jesus.

In The Desert

Mark 6:31 “ And He said unto them, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.”....

There is no rest for the wicked, but there is rest for the people of God. Real rest of soul, body, and mind is found in Jesus Christ. That is spiritual rest from the cares of life and the things that trouble us. But God is also concern that we don’t over tax our bodies to the point that we are no longer any earthly good. This is no reason to be irresponsible, but a reason to take time from the duties of life and allow the mind and body to heal from the demands that press on us from day to day. We all need a desert place, a place away from the call of duty. A place to renew our spirits and regain our strength to be the person God wants us to be. In the desert, we can get quiet before God and find real rest for the soul. In the desert, the distractions of life are put away and we can let our body and mind be relived of the stress of responsibility that weighs on us daily.  We are not called to live in the desert, but to rest there. Tomorrow we return to life’s duties, but today, we rest in God. 

Transforming Power

Roman 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”-

The transforming power of God to change a life the is wrecked by sin and make it new again. A transformation that is permanent and everlasting. The heart is changed instantaneously by the grace of God. Old things are past away and all things become new. A new life is recreated in the person who puts their faith in Christ. Once I was blind, but now I see. Once I was lame, but now I walk, once I was deaf, but now I hear, once I was lost in darkness, but now I the light shines in my path. What a glorious transformation is made when we come to Christ. Then God begins a holy transformation in our lives as we present ourselves in complete surrender to His will, giving our lives in holy consecration, set apart, sanctified to live blameless without sin. We no longer conform to the ideology of this world, but we now see things through the eyes of God and righteousness. Over time as we walk with God, He shows us how to walk and how to live holy. He imparts the 3rd person of the holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit giving us the power to live acceptable and do the perfect will of God.