Rev. Ray and Pat Amos

Drinking Living Water

“…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

Every now and then a community will be told to boil water to make it safe for consumption. If our Christian witness was like water, would it need to be boiled?

Fresh water has flowed in abundance from the mountains where many of us have called home. Jugs and buckets of water were once just a part of life. Back then no one would have imagined the day would come when you would buy bottled water. The water that we took for granted is now often considered unsafe because we have polluted it.

Jesus spoke of our heart being like a spring of living water. The question for today is, “How clean is the life that flows from within us and out into the world around us?” The truth is that the water of life within us can become polluted and bitter also. Is it safe for our family and friends to draw from the well of our thoughts, speech, and example of a Christian life?

My Dad took care of the town water in Pearisburg Virginia for many years. Sometimes I would go with him to check the pump house. He would put a sample of water into a tube, then a drop of some chemical, and compare it to a color chart to see if it was safe. An entire town depended upon his faithfulness to his work; and he never let them down.

What if some kind of spiritual meter tested our life? If our well of living water was tested right now, would we be found clean before God? Would a contamination sign be hung over our heart? There are many who are depending on our faithfulness. Are we determined to not let them down? If I am a child of God, then what comes from my life should be safe to the eyes and ears of those around me.

Another song to remember: “Drinking at the springs of living water; Happy now am I, My soul they satisfy. Drinking at the springs of living water; O wonderful and bountiful supply!”

Grace and Peace, Rev Ray (1/17/2019)