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Water: An Amazing Substance Water is
truly an amazing substance, yet it is so common, so abundant that we
take it for granted. Its chemical composition is the bonding of two
gases, hydrogen and oxygen and it is identified in a chemist's
notation as H2O. We are familiar with its various forms from the
gaseous, steam; to the liquid; to the solid, ice and snow. We drink
it, bathe in it, swim in it, float over it, generate electricity
with it, soak the grass with it, buy special clothes for it when it
falls from the sky and on and on we could go about all the uses we
make of the common and remarkable substance called water given to us
by God.
God has given us water not simply as an element of our physical
life, but also as an object lesson to teach us spiritual truths.
Water is so much a part of our lives and covers so much of this
planet that it can be said that it "day unto day utters speech, and
night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language
where its voice is not heard. Its line has gone out through all the
earth, and its words to the end of the world" (Psalms 19:2-4).
Listen and learn the lessons water can teach us.
It Refreshes
Out in the hot sun all day working hard, your throat begins to dry
out and your tongue feels parched. You try to lick your lips and
only end up feeling like you ran sandpaper across them. As the sweat
drips from your brow, a picture comes to your mind of a tall clear
glass of ice water, the ice cubes tinkling invitingly against the
inside of the glass and beadlets of water sparkling on the outside
of the glass. You almost tumble over your own feet in your rush
inside for a drink of water to refresh your throat, body and mind
from the thirst the heat and work has whipped into you.
How refreshing water can be. David on one occasion desired to be
refreshed with water from a certain well and said with longing, "Oh,
that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of
Bethlehem, which is by the gate" (2 Sam. 23:15). Three mighty men
broke into the camp of the Philistines just to obtain the water that
would refresh David. Jesus praised those who refreshed little ones
with "only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple" (Matt.
10:42). Jesus knew how precious it was to have a refreshing drink of
water as in His agony on the cross He cried out, "I thirst" (John
19:28).
God uses our physical thirst for water, our longing for refreshment
to teach us the need for spiritual thirst. David expressed the
thirst of a soul longing to be refreshed in the presence of his God.
"O God, you are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for
you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is
no water" (Psa. 63:1). As if in response to David's plea for his
soul to be quenched, God promised to provide the water that would
satisfy and refresh the thirsty soul, "For waters shall burst forth
in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground
shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water..."
(Isaiah 35:6-7).
Jesus told the woman of Samaria that He was the source of the
refreshing living water promised by God. "Whoever drinks of the
water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I
shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up
into eternal life" (John 4:13-14). Immediately the woman desired to
drink of the water Jesus offered.
The apostles of Jesus later explained how thirsty souls might be
refreshed by God's living water. One must repent and be baptized for
the remission of their sins, "so that times of refreshing may come
from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 2:38; 3:19). Souls that are as
eager as David to be refreshed in the presence of God will humbly
submit to the command of baptism in water and they will indeed
receive the forgiveness of their sins and the refreshing living
water of God.
It Cleanses
After a hard day of backbreaking work, nothing feels quite as good
as a long hot shower or bath. To soak up the water and scrub off the
sweat and grime not just cleans the body, but makes one feel like a
new person. We use gallons of water every day to clean our bodies,
our clothes, our dishes, our cars, our pets, and anything else that
we can reach with a bucket and a scrub brush.
Under the Law of Moses, cleansing with water was a frequent
requirement. The frequency of cleansing with water for the priests
required a bronze laver of water to be placed in the tabernacle
courtyard between the altar and the door of the tabernacle. Moses
was commanded concerning the laver, "you shall put water in it, for
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water
from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they
come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to
the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die" (Exodus
30:19-20).
Again the Lord has given us the physical quality of water and its
use in cleansing to teach us a lesson concerning spiritual
cleansing. Just as dirt will make our body filthy and require water
for cleansing, so also sin will make our soul filthy and require
water for cleansing. David fervently prayed to be cleansed of his
sins, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my
sin ... purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow" (Psa. 51:2, 7). The Lord promised in the
Old Testament a means of cleansing, "In that day a fountain shall be
opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
for sin and uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1).
Under the New Testament, the Lord kept his promise and sent his son,
Jesus Christ, to open up the way to the fountain whereby those who
love God might be washed, cleansed, purified and purged of their
sins. God has ordained that for one to be cleansed of his sins he
must in faith submit to baptism in water, "the washing of
regeneration" (Titus 3:5). Saul was commanded by God through
Ananias, "Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on
the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). One must be baptized not to
remove the filth of the flesh, but in order to give the answer of a
good conscience toward God (1 Pet. 3:21). Only those who have had
their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and their "bodies
washed with pure water" can "draw near (to God) with a true heart
and in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22).
It Is Essential To Life
Water is essential for life to exist on this planet. All creatures
require water to live. The human body is three quarters water and
uses water for digestion, circulation, respiration, temperature
control, waste removal and many more functions. While one can live
without food for three weeks, one cannot live more than three days
without water. Hagar and Ishmael would have died in the wilderness
without water when their skin of water was used up if the Lord had
not opened Hagar's eyes to find a well of water (Gen. 21:14-15).
Throughout the ages God has made water not only a requirement for
physical life but also for spiritual life. During the Patriarchal
age, water became the means through which God saved Noah and his
family. "God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was prepared,
in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water" (1
Peter 3:20). Later, God saved the nation of Israel from the slavery
of Egypt through the water of the Red Sea. Under the Law of Moses,
God required that the priests wash themselves with water before
entering the tabernacle in service to God and failure to do so meant
death (Exodus 30:18-20).
Just as God requires water for our physical life and as he used
water as a means to save those under the Patriarchal and Mosaical
dispensations, God now requires water as an essential element for
salvation under the dispensation of his dear Son. Jesus laid down
the need of water for spiritual life to Nicodemus, "Most assuredly,
I say unto you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Before Jesus ascended
into heaven he told his apostles, "He who believes and is baptized
will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark
16:16). Because of God's requirement of baptism in water and its
essentiality to our spiritual life, Peter wrote that as Noah and his
family were saved through water, "There is an antitype which now
saves us, namely baptism" (1 Peter 3:21).
What is truly amazing about water is that the very element which we
desperately need and use so much, God has blessed us with in
exceeding abundance in the form of dew, rain, ponds, lakes, creeks,
streams, rivers, seas and oceans. Just as so very few need to die
physically for lack of water, no one needs to continue in spiritual
death for lack of baptism in water in obedience to Jesus. "See here
is water, what hinders me from being baptized?" (Acts 8:36). ~
by Wayne Greeson |
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What Is Truth?
During Jesus' trial before Pilate, Jesus made a statement concerning
truth: "I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." To that Pilate
replied: "What is truth?" (John 18:37-38)
Let's consider two things about truth that we can learn from this
brief exchange. First, there is such a thing as definitive truth.
There is a way that things are, and there is a way that things are
not. Second, there are people who will refuse to see truth, even
when it's proclaimed to them. They may outright reject it, or they
may simply throw up their hands as Pilate did, and declare truth an
impossibility to grasp.
Truth is not something that is always easy to see. Two different
people looking at one thing can come away with very different
opinions of what that thing was. Someone can make a speech, and
different people can come away with radically different ideas on
what was actually said. The one who sees things as they truly are is
one that Jesus describes as being "of the truth." This gives the
idea of being in alignment with the truth. In order to see truth,
one has to be in sync with the truth. Many people heard Jesus, but
only some accepted it
for what it really was.
Consider the twelve spies that were sent into the land of Canaan
after the Israelites fled from Egypt (Numbers 13-14). They all saw
the same things. They all saw how good the land was, and how small
in stature they appeared to the inhabitants of Canaan. They also had
all experienced the power and deliverance of God who brought them
out of Egypt through the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.
But with all of the exact same experiences, and seeing the exact
same things, they came to very different conclusions. Ten of the
spies said it was impossible to take Canaan, while two said they
could. The truth was that they could, if they trusted in God.
However, the multitude believed the ten spies and they couldn't take
the land. They were not of the truth. They saw and heard, but they
did not truly see or hear.
What causes one person to see giants and be scared, and another to
be confident? What causes one person to believe in Jesus, and
another to reject him? What really is happening is that those who
see the giants of Canaan and are scared aren't seeing everything.
They are only seeing one piece. They only see the giants, but they
refuse to see God.
Those that reject Jesus hear him, but they refuse to see God in Him.
God is just as real as everything that we can physically see or
hear.
It is through that knowledge of God that we can see things as they
truly are. But it also does you no good unless you come to accept
God and the truth for yourself. ~
by Eric Hamilton
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