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The Fountain of Living Waters
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Posted by: JeriRose12
I was seeking the Lord today, and it was wonderful, and He spoke to me (AGAIN!!!) about the need of His people to seek Him. Later, in my emails, I opened this, which made me think of the importance of spending time with Him and in His Word:
The Miracle Sprout
By Desiree Snider
My husband loves fresh herbs and has attempted many times to grow his own herb garden. Unfortunately, his gardening skills don’t quite match up with his passion for a delicious pasta dish using fresh herbs.
On one particular spurt of delusion, he purchased several small potted herbs to begin his garden. Lovingly nurturing them, the basil herb sprouted immediately and grew tall. However this victory over nature was soon brought to reality, when somehow, he accidentally snapped off one of the main sprouts!
Not giving up, he carefully took that little sprout and placed it into its own container and started the process of bringing it to life. I thought he was crazy. But soon he proved me wrong.
Everyday he watched that little sprout and attended to it’s every need (with the help of special strong plant food of course). Sure enough, a few weeks later that snapped off little sprout grew roots and new leaves! I was so proud. I was even starting to feel tenderness towards this miracle sprout that flourished against all odds. I could see it growing strong, into a big healthy plant. What an accomplishment for my husband!
Then one day he forgot to water it. I’m sad to say, this story ends in despair. As had become habit each day, I walked passed to inspect the progress of this tender sprout. This day I was shocked by what I found. There it lay lifeless in its little pot, the leaves and roots shriveled and brown. The plant was dead.
Ok, so it’s just a plant. We didn’t exactly have a time of mourning and bury it out back. But as I reflected on this little saga in our lives, I couldn’t help being struck by the symbolism. Here was this little snapped off sprout that if left, would have died. Yet with a continual supply of fresh water, it not only lived, but grew. The amazing part for me was that after weeks of nurturing this sprout, it took only one day without water for it to die.
Your spirit is as fragile as that little sprout. Have you ever met someone that seemed like a dried up dead plant inside? Then there is the rare person (hopefully you’re one of them) that seems to just shine from the inside out. They have a life and freshness about them that makes you want to just be in their presence.
Certainly this second type of person is who you need to be. Jesus is life and if He is in us, at least some of that life should be shining through. He is the water that penetrates every part of us. Here is a beautiful picture of what the Lord wants us to be…
Ezekiel 47:12 - Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.~ (NIV)
As we soak in the life-giving water of the Holy Spirit, life will come. You cannot help but be brought to life and grow in this environment! You will not only have the life inside of you, but others will feed off of it. Unfortunately, it takes very little for that life to be snuffed out.
So what kind of plant are you? Before you can bring life and healing to others, you first need to come to a realization of what state you’re in. Are you beaming with life or shriveled up and gasping for your last breath? Here are just a few quick guidelines to assess your condition:
YOU’RE BURSTING WITH GOODNESS IF…
Love often wells up in your heart towards those around you.
No matter what situation you’re in, joy bubbles up from within.
Even though a situation seems bad, you can’t help but know the Lord will turn it for good.
YOU’RE IN DESPERATE NEED OF SOME WATER IF…
Most of your time is spent either thinking of or talking about someone or something in a negative way.
You’re constantly afraid something bad may happen, whether an injury, theft or other bad situation.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t believe the Lord will help you out of a bad situation you’re in.
I want you to meditate on this today and take an honest look at the state of your spirit. If you’re bursting with life… Amen, go and spread it now to others! If you find yourself dry and dead… do not be filled with despair – all you need is some life-giving water. You can be that little miracle sprout and be brought back to life!
Whichever type of plant you are… DO something with it! Take some form of action and use what the Lord has given you. And most importantly… don’t forget to water yourself!
Scriptures of confirmation:---------------------------------
8They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
(Psalm 36:8 - 9)
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it,
but folly brings punishment to fools.
(Proverbs 16:22) (NIV)
22Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly. (NKJV)
14The law (or teaching) of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
Proverbs 13:14)
13"For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain (or spring) of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water.
(Jeremiah 2:13)
13O LORD, the hope of Israel,
All who forsake You shall be ashamed.
"Those who depart from Me
Shall be written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the LORD,
The fountain (or spring) of living waters."
(Jeremiah 17:13)
18And it will come to pass in that day
That the mountains shall drip with new wine,
The hills shall flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water;
A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD
And water the Valley of Acacias.
(Joel 3:18)
37On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37 - 39) NKJV
37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37 - 39) NIV
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25 - 27)
~JeriRose~
Finding HIM in 2004 
Posted by: JeriRose12
Oh, and I am thinking of the woman at the well. She was seeking PHYSICAL water, but Jesus wanted to give her the Living Water, of Himself. Often, we go to Jesus, asking for PHYSICAL things (like money or healing), when he wants to give up the Living Water of Himself! How often do we pray to Him, then go away thirsty, because we never drank deep of the well of life that He is? SELAH!!!
~JeriRose~
Finding HIM in 2004