Monday, December 10, 2012

Are you drawing from empty wells?

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns
That can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13


Do you know what it's like to be thirsty? I mean REALLY thirsty?  Perhaps after playing a sport or hiking a mountain or when we've been sick. It's a horrible feeling. Your throat feels like a desert, your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. You feel like you'd do ANYTHING for a sip of water. 

Yet there are other ways to feel thirsty.  Perhaps you're thirsty to be loved, thirsty for success, power, money. Maybe you're thirsty for friends, a house, a new car. Or perhaps you're thirsty for recognition, fulfillment, purpose.  Maybe you're just thirsty for good health, peace, a good marriage, the well-being of your kids, lost loved ones to be saved!  None of these things are bad. They are all natural human needs. But they give us a thousand ways to thirst! And all of them make us feel that same excruciating longing and desperation that we feel from physical thirst. 

So what do you do when you're thirsty?  You get a drink! In the old days, people went to wells and pulled up buckets of water from deep within the earth. Yet we are no different today. We each have our own wells that we dip from. If we thirst for money, then we dive into the well of money, hoping to satisfy that need.  If we thirst for possessions, we jump into that well and buy buy buy!. If we thirst for approval, we dip from the well of opinion and try to do things that please others. You get the idea.  Here's some wells I know I've dipped into during my life. Perhaps you can think of others.

Wells
Approval of man
Success
Religion
Fame
Money
Possessions
Talent
Looks
Ability
Human Love

 The trouble with this wells is they don't quench our thirst. They may for awhile, even for a season, but inevitably they leave us wanting for more.  That's what Jesus was trying to tell the woman who came to draw water from the well,  

“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Jeremiah was so accurate when he said in the verse at the top of this post that the people had dug for themselves broken cisterns that held no water. They may hold water for awhile, but there's a leak, and soon when you dip your bucket in again, you come up empty.  For those of you who have lived a while now, you know this to be true. NOTHING that you thought would satisfy you, nothing that you thought would fulfill you, has lasted. Why? Because we all dip into the wrong well. We dip into man-made wells instead of God's well of living water. 

I don't know about you, but I've been doing a lot of dipping into the wrong wells. I've been trying to find fulfillment in money, success, fame, approval. I've become too caught up in what the world considers success. My books, my sales numbers, reviews, contests. . . and what others think of me.  I allowed myself to get caught up in a whirlwind of activities, trying to find some way to achieve what I wanted. But it has all left me thirsty. Terribly thirsty. 

Jesus gives us the answer in the verse above. He is the living water that never runs dry. He is the answer to ALL our human needs. When we drink freely from Him everyday, we have no need of the other things. They don't matter anymore. So, how do we drink this living water?  How do you drink regular water? The minute you feel a slight thirst, don't you run and get a drink?  So, why not do the same thing when you feel an inner thirst rise up?  Run and spend time with Jesus. I've been doing that lately, and I'm telling you it works!!  

There once was a famous person who had achieved everything anyone would ever want. He had money, beautiful women, fame, success.  When he was asked by a reporter what was the one thing that surprised him the most after he achieved such great success in life, and he said.  "When I finally reached the top, I found it empty." 

11 comments:

  1. Mon Dec 10th,
    "Morning, MaryLu."
    And yet again, another timely Word in due season ! Thanks for today's blog.
    Been there, done that -- dipping into the wrong wells in years gone by. They all, came up empty !
    Fruitless searching for -- approval, success, money, love, etc, etc ...
    The "only" One who satisfies and is everlasting -- is the Lord Himself !!!
    My problem of late, seems to be that of "distraction with life and busyness" .... and not necessarily with what is truly important ... but just caught up in the hustle-bustle of life itself. Then, I find that precious time has been truly wasted, and I have not spent that time with the Lord. Hence ... the well runs dry.
    Thank-you for these great reminders MaryLu, to what is truly of importance and essential to our well-being ... living in the Lord.
    Take care, and, God Bless,
    In Him, Brenda Hurley

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  2. Brings to mind when priests would 'cover' sins, while only Jesus 'removed' sins. You can't just look for a quick fix, you need to search out the 'permanent repair' and you can only find that in Jesus.
    Great post, as usual. Sharing. :)

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  3. I dipped into the wrong wells all my life! And sometimes I still do.. until I get really thirsty again and realize what I've done. Duh..
    I also battle extreme busyness! It just seems like I never have enough time to do what I need to do. I've learned that everything else in my day goes better when I stop and spend time with my Father. Still, the enemy tries like heck to get me not to.
    Yes... the permanent repair to our broken wells.. only Jesus.
    Thanks for dropping by, ladies!

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  4. Amen, MaryLu, this is very true! Obviously this is true of all unbelievers, but this is also a big issue for Christians too. It always amazes me at how often I look at so many other options before I come before God. Sin truly is so deep rooted in us, and not just some "little issue" as many people would like us to believe. I am thankful that be of Christ is to be forgiven. May Christ continually lead us back to Him! Amen!

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  5. Not only do we Christians look at other options but we often dip into them for long times before we realize they are empty. I know so many Christians who are relying on their money, jobs, health, friends, spouses to make them happy and secure.. but in the end all of those things let us down. Only God's living waters satisfy..
    Thanks for your thoughts, Emma!

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  6. Wed Dec 12th,
    "Morning, MaryLu."
    Absolutely .... "only God's living waters satisfy" !!! Amen, and, Amen to that !!!
    Take care, and, God Bless,
    In Him, Brenda Hurley

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  7. I really appreciate your thirst for living water. I linked your article to a post I wrote dealing with Proverbs 20:5. I also used your picture of the well, but I linked it back to your site. I hope you don't mind.

    God bless!

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  8. I don't mind at all, Anthony! God bless you too!

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  9. I wish I could understand what you are talking about when you say "spend time with Jesus". Jesus left here 2000 years ago didn't He? Are you talking about reading scripture and praying? I try that and all I end up with is paper, ink and the sound of my own voice. What am I missing? Do you really not understand why people have, and always will, run to the broken cisterns? It's because they can be found, really found. whatever it might be it's because they can see it, touch it, feel it and experience it. How can that which must be taken on faith help when what that basically means is, you can't actually have it? It seems that all you end up with is a "legal" claim to it, a technicality. God loves us more than any person ever could but then you can't actually, directly, receive any of it, or directly experience any of it. how does it matter how much He loves us if He is never available to us.I understand that He sees me and hears my every word, and knows my every thought but that just means that I am available to him. I have never even heard Him say my name. My heart is so broken but I can't find any help for it, or relief from it from Him. I don't understand how constantly struggling to make myself believe that He loves me personally can be a reasonable substitute for the actual warmth and tenderness and closeness of another human being. I so long to be loved by my sweetheart, my wife, but I know it can't happen because any relationship beyond that which is shallow and superficial is just not worth the trouble to her. My heart feels broken most of the time so I take medication and try to hold on and find help. Thanks for listening.










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    1. Roy, please feel free to email me anytime, but let me try and answer your question here. First of all, I completely understand your position. God is not perceived through our natural senses of hearing, sight, and touch. And let's face it, it is through those senses that we experience our world. Which is why people do run to the broken cisterns, and yes, I understand that more than you think. God is Spirit. He lives in a different realm, but He has given us a spirit as well. Before we believed in Jesus, our spirits were dead. Once we gave our lives to Him, our spirits became alive again. Once that happened, we are able to converse with God through our spirits. But it takes time, growth in faith, and practice. And yes, it takes faith too. When I say spend time with Jesus, yes, I do mean in prayer and in reading the Bible. You say it seems like just ink on a paper....and sometimes it does, yes. But other times, when I pray first and I'm really open to what God wants to tell me, the words become alive and almost hop off the page. For me, the key is to talk to God while I'm reading.. asking Him what this means or that and asking Him to show me new things. Prayer is the same way. It does seem like a one-way conversation at times, especially when I'm hurried or worried or distracted. But I KNOW that God is there, smiling at me, loving me, and listening to me. And if I quiet my spirit and focus on Him, I truly feel His presence. It takes practice and faith.
      Have I ever heard God's voice? No. Not audibly. But I have heard Him speak to my spirit. Remember when you are saved, His Spirit lives in your spirit. That's where you should focus and that's where you'll hear Him. A voice, an impression, a sense of overwhelming love. Once you sense those things, you will be amazed at how wonderful it is!
      God also speaks to me through other people, through a sermon, a friend, a song. If there's a specific thing He wants me to know, He will repeat it in different ways. I'll hear someone say something. I'll read something and there it is. I'll hear it in a song...etc... Remember, there are no coincidences... only God leading and guiding.
      Yes, it takes work. But I'm telling you that it is worth it. God promises that if we seek Him truly with all our heart, we will find Him.
      I'm so sorry you are hurting and heart broken. I've been there, believe me. I sought happiness and love in many relationships throughout my life, and as wonderful as some of them were, I can honestly say they always disappointed me. WE Human beings are flawed and we will always end up hurting those we love most. Since I've grown to know the Lord and His love for me, I no longer need to find love elsewhere. God's love fills me up and is all I need. Yes, I love my husband, but I no longer put pressure on him or on our marriage to fulfill me, because honestly he can't.
      Roy, like I said, I understand what you are saying, but you can't experience God on a physical level. You must seek Him in Spirit. And yes, it does take work, but so does every relationship. Read His Word, talk to Him like He's right there. Picture Him smiling at you. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Then believe He will. He will! If you want to email me, here's my email. marylu_tyndall@yahoo.com In the meantime, I'm praying for you. :-)

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  10. How do you get a "drink" of Jesus? Why all the poetic, figurative jargon? It is so vague and ambiguous I can hardly ever pin down what is really meant. Please help me understand. Is there really help here, I need it so badly. I think I will try to send you an e-mail Marylu. I have difficulty remembering what to say when I'm not looking at your blog. thanks again.

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