You Can't Turn Off the Faucet

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 

out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters" 

                                                             John 7: 38

A few miles from where I live the Poland Springs bottled water company has a site where they get a great deal of the water they sell. Nearby the tanks, fresh water spouts from the ground. Long before the Company purchased the lands around the spring, the spring has been and the old iron pipe is still there though there is now better piping and a cleaned area where the public can get water.

 It is clear, icy cold, and wonderfully refreshing.

I have gotten water there on occasion and my problem is, when I leave I feel guilty because I can't turn off the fountain. The water gushes from the pipe and flows away down the hill into the lake. As I drive away, I look back thinking, that's a waste of water and I can't turn off the faucet. Then I have to remember,  I am not the one who opened it up and lets it run free for everyone to drink from.

Jesus said that He would give anyone rivers of living water and neither can this water of life He gives be turned off. It will flow in abundance from all that believe in Jesus. It is sweeter, and fresher, and more wonderfully nutritious than any water on earth.

The river that springs from us to is to be shared with everyone. Like that spring water, I can't turn it off because I am not the one who brings it out of me. 

Paul says we're not to quench the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is flowing from us to all that we meet, we need to give the living water to all as often as we can.

We can't turn off the faucet!

Why would we want to?

Scenario of a Witness

This is a totally fictional account of a witness scene.

Unbeliever: “Why should I believe?” 

Christian: “Well, where do you want to spend eternity, heaven or hell?”

Unbeliever: “Is there a heaven or hell?”

Christian: “What happens to you when you die?”

Unbeliever: (after a pause) “I don’t know.”

Christian: “Heaven is God’s house, it’s where He lives. Why should God let you into His heaven?”

Unbeliever: “Why would a good God send anyone to hell?”

Christian: “Would you let a child murderer with bloody hands and wielding the murder weapon into your house?”

Unbeliever: “No way!”

Christian: “So God should let them into His house?”

Unbeliever—a very long pause with no answer.

Christian: “If you have house rules about who gets into your house, why can’t God have His own rules?”

Unbeliever: “I’m not a murderer.”

Christian: “But God’s house rules say you must believe that His Son Jesus died for your sins and accept Him as your Savior. That’s the only way you can enter God’s house. 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him should not die but have eternal life. That John 3:16.'”

Unbeliever: “That’s stupid.”

Christian: “Why is it stupid?”

Unbeliever: “You want me to believe in a God that killed His own Son, where’s the goodness in that?”

Christian: “Romans 6:23 says ‘The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Jesus gave His life to give you eternal life. Someone had to die and Jesus did that in your place. Do you want to die forever or go to heaven?”

Unbeliever: “There are other religions in the world; there must be other ways to heaven.”

Christian: “So what you're saying is you can set your own house rules but God isn’t allowed to set His own house rules about who can enter? It's God's house so why can't He allow only those people to enter who ask Jesus to be their Savior?”

Unbeliever: “That’s pretty narrow-minded. Why would God not let in good people no matter what religion they believe?”

Christian: “If I show up tonight at midnight and break through your bedroom wall with a bazooka to get in, hold you at gunpoint, burn your house down, and force you to take my billion dollars gift, what would happen?”

Unbeliever: “That’s crazy. I’d call the police.”

Christian: “But I want to give you a billion dollars. Why can’t I do it my own way?”

Unbeliever: “Because you can’t do that. You can’t expect anyone to let you destroy their house to give them a gift, not even a billion dollars. That’s crazy!”

Christian: "But I want to give you a billion dollars, isn't that a good thing to do?"

Unbeliever: "If you want to give me anything, you come to my front door and knock. If I know what you're offering, I'll consider it."

Christian:  "God wants to give you a gift for free yet you want to blow into His house on your own terms.”

Unbeliever: “That’s not the same thing.”

Christian: “But you agree heaven is God’s house?”

Unbeliever: “Yeah, all right.”

Christian: “So why should God let you into His house?"

Somewhere along here, the conversation goes the way of salvation or the unbeliever walks away. 

Would you ever use this scenario, or what might you change? 

God Tell's Them Off--Not So Subtly

 "Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds" 

Numbers 17:8.

A group of people opposed Aaron, challenging his right to be priest in the tabernacle. God stepped in and made it an absolute fact that He approved of Aaron's service.

In having a dead stick produce leaves, buds, and ripe fruit, God left no room for anyone to not know He chose Aaron.

We will always have people jealous of our ministry, especially if God blesses it. Many people will only see 'our' success and forget that we're only being an obedient servant, pleasing our Master. It's the Master's choice to bless openly, which He often does.

Every employment opportunity in the secular has an equivalent in the Body of Christ. It is God who empowers that career to further His kingdom and bring lost people to salvation through what you do.

When God does take your service to new levels, always remember it is never your power, strength, knowledge or ability to get the Supernatural work of God done. Only God has the power to make His word or His work different than any other words spoken or work done on earth. You're just the servant--be a good one.

Let God take care of the jealous people.

Hosting Parties is Biblical

"...Prepare a guest room for me, for I trust, 

through your prayers I shall be granted to you" 

Philemon 22

Even before Mother gave the responsibility to me in my early twenties, I had hosted many of the holiday cooking at her house and sometimes at my sibling’s houses. Since I liked it so much, Mother finally gave the family holidays to me.

Today, my home is a large farmhouse, built in the 1820s. It’s nice but it needs much help. It has odd smells, stains, and is very static in the arrangement of furniture. While many people have visited, entertaining has limits.

In the winter, with the woodstove cranking out the heat, guests are elbow to elbow on the opposite side of the room, far enough so as not to be charred. To watch the sports on the television causes a major shift and someone inevitably, from the next room, looks through or over the semi-circle of the fortunate facing the screen. In the summer, the decay of the fallen down barn invades through the open windows.

 

Without a proper dining room, it takes imaginative rearranging. To accommodate more than six, a sheet of plywood lays atop my table. This means shifting the refrigerator against the cupboards by the kitchen sink, thus rendering four useless and causing a shortened counter top. While the stove is in use, no one can sit on that side of the table until all the cooking is complete.

 For all of this, hosting is wonderful and I would do it more often.

My hosting imagination has designed a specific Dream House. It has the normal master bedroom with full bath, kitchen, guestroom, home office, and household bath with washer and dryer.

However, my fantasy has yards of floor space, set with easily rearranged furniture. To accommodate crowds, there’s a custom kitchen with at least two ovens, a six-burner range, a grill, separate freezer and refrigerator, an island with food-prep sink, and long reaches of counter space. There’s casual serving dining bar with stools but the capstone is comfortable dinner seating for a dozen with addition to serve more. To have such a venue sounds wonderful.

I love cooking. I love hosting. I love the gathering of all the hundreds of paraphernalia my guests may never notice. I like searching for new and exciting recipes. I love giving gifts and trinkets. I love the table settings and centerpieces. I love doing the little things and arranging the surprises.

Hospitality, and kind, friendly behavior 

should be a trait highly visible in Christians

My largest entertaining accomplishment to date is organizing a Harvest/Hunter’s Supper at my home church. While I didn’t do all the cooking or necessary gathering, I was the go-to person. Even so, credit goes to our small congregations’ involvement and the praise was all to God’s blessing the event.

"It was awesome!"

The turnout was fantastic and we fed almost hundred people, many who had never been in a church before. I couldn’t stop praising God.

Another ministry opportunity came as my Husband and I hosted a Thanksgiving Day meal at our church for the people in our congregation who had no place to go. That was very satisfying knowing they weren’t sitting alone on this day of giving of Thanks.

Anyone who enjoys cooking enjoys watching their guests eat what they’ve prepared. When the only sound is rattling silverware, you know you succeeded. Like when a stranger buys one of my paintings without ever meeting me. My work has spoken for itself and my presence is unnecessary for their approval.

“(be) hospitable, a lover of what is good, 

sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled” Titus 1:8

My Dream House is an inviting place where people want to be. It is open to Missionaries, pastors and their wives, and other traveling guests. I imagine holidays, ceremonies, Bible study groups, children’s Bible groups. Best of all, I imagine inviting unsaved people for good food and fun. In my open home, I’d introduce them to my Jesus and His free salvation. I would tell them of heaven and its awesome splendor that outshines my temporary house on earth.

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” 

Colossians 3:2

Looking to Heaven and describing my Dream House? It’s a slimy, water-slogged, decaying, moldy mud hut compared to my Heavenly Father’s house.

"But while I’m on earth, I would like to host parties, 

especially where Christ is always welcome

 and gets to meet with people at my table"

"Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, 

sweetness to the soul and health to the bones"

Proverbs 16:24

An Artist's Theory of Genesis 1

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth."

"And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon face of the waters."

"And God said let there be light; and there was light” Genesis 1: 1, 2, 3.

I’m an artist. I paint similes of realities or the imaginations of my mind. It’s satisfying to have an idea and realize the vision on canvas so viewers can appreciate my creativity.

My ‘studio’ consists of a small, cheap drafting table in my bedroom, facing a north-light window to which I assemble all the stored pieces of my craft paraphernalia. The process involves uncovering the table of clutter, opening the curtains, retrieving my chair from another part of the room, getting my paint box from where I keep it and seeing my collection of brushes gets put on the table. The paint box I open and lay on the bed (which I generally have to make first). It is a convenient extra surface next to my left elbow. To the kitchen for a jug of water and the roll of paper towels for rinsing my brushes. For extra ease, a few rags from the bathroom closet. Now, my work area is ready and I can create my art.

Before I go through all of the assembly, I have a picture in mind. Over a few days, I draw several loose sketches of my idea, using my extensive swipe file that contains reference pictures that help me get the correct light, form, and angles of certain animals, objects or whatever I might need. From this file, I have designed either a complex, or simple, composition thinking about the tone, the palette, and the finer details.

When I am as ready as I think is necessary, I sit down and begin my painting. All this time consuming arrangement ensued because I wanted to paint.

My art may be nice to view, but God's Creation was perfect.

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” Genesis 1:1. 

It was beautiful and completely designed in His ‘mind’ before He began. 

“And the heaven and earth were without form and void” Gen. 1:2a.

We know Jesus holds everything together, (Col 1:16). It is a scientifically proven fact all things consist of molecules, cells and atoms we cannot see with the naked eye. In His ‘studio’, God created all those particles that make up heaven and earth.

While He created it all in verse 1, verse 2 says it was void and without form. Described in my analogy, as I assemble everything before I paint, I have no trouble with that.

God knew what He was going to make, He simply hadn’t put it together yet.

Verse 1 says God the Father created all of it but Jesus, the Word of God had yet speak to assemble everything. God the Holy Spirit joyfully hovered over the ‘drafting table’, waiting for Jesus to proclaim his first ‘daub of paint’ to His ‘canvas'. Everything was ready, and perfect. Even the darkness is perfect, because no sin has entered yet.

I picture the throne room of God tense in happy anticipation. The angels who minster to God are poised and waiting to see what the Holy One is doing. Up until now, they are the only created things in existence. What could God possibly create now?

God nods His head and Jesus, a big smile on His face yells out, “Let there be light!”

The Holy Spirit immediately collects God’s pre-planned particles and light springs from the elements floating in the dark void. Light always existed  in God’s design, only now it has form.

With each exclamation, Jesus brings about the beauty of what The Trinity had in mind all along. The Holy Spirit, the power of God, places the beautiful parts together making a magnificent painting, a whole of all the pieces, until all are used in their proper places and on the ‘sixth’ day, God finishes the painting with His signature—Man, made in His image!

When I finish a painting, I like to sit back and admire it for days afterwards. 

On the seventh day, God the Father, Jesus God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit ‘rest’, admiring Their perfect work while the angels rejoice fly around examining God's magnificent Creation. 
 

“When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38: 7.

That is my artist’s theory of God's Creation in Genesis 1. I will know the truth when I see my Jesus face to face. 

Possibly, knowledge of the first two verses of Genesis won’t be anywhere as serious as the theorists of today and through history want to make it.