Author: David Short

John 7:37-38

On 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. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus knew that the time was coming soon when He would be leaving His disciples and returning to heaven, In this verse, He is promising to them, and to us, that anyone who comes to Him will be filled by living waters. The early church fathers saw this promise by Jesus as the prophecy of the upcoming Pentecost, that day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and established the beginning of the Church. Jesus and the Father never intended for us to be on our own throughout our lives floundering to figure out how to follow in His footsteps. We are never alone in our journey through life. If we come to Him, not just once, or when we need something, but constantly, He will continuously fill us with Himself. That filling will be so complete that the living water that God fills us with will spill over to all around us. Glory be to God!

Psalms 127:1 (126:1 LXX)

Unless the Lord builds the house,
Those who build it labor in vain;
Unless the Lord guard the city,
Those who guard it stay awake in vain.

Personal Challenge

In light of recent political events (the interim election in Alabama), I have been reminded that so many people, including professing Christians, look to the world to establish their house on and to seek protection from. As Christians, we should be looking to God for this and not to men and women. Only God can help us build a quality home. Only God can guard and protect us. Not man. This can be easy to forget and get us all focused on the things of this world. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Proverbs 16:20 (16:18 LXX)

A man wise in his deeds is a discoverer of good things,
But he who trusts in God is the most blessed.

Encouraging Words

The scriptures do not discount or discredit the good deeds that people do. It even praises people for the good that we do, even if the person doing the good deeds is not a follower of God. However, the blessings of God are reserved for those who put their trust in Him. We need God more than we need anything else in on lives for He is the source of life for all. Glory be to God!

 

John 6:68-69

But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Encouraging Words

“To whom shall we go?” Once the grace of God has firmly taken hold of our hearts, there is no one else that we want to be with. There is nowhere else that we want to be but in His presence. There is nothing else that we want in life, but to be with Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner so that I may see You!

Psalms 121:1-4 (120:1-4 LXX)

I lifted my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
Let not your foot be moved;
Neither let Him who keeps you slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Encouraging Words

My help comes from the Lord. It is so comforting to know that I do not have to count on myself, or any other human being for that matter, to make it through each and every day or situation. My Lord never sleeps and is always there to lift me up, to walk beside me as He did with Adam in the garden. He is my help! He is my hope! He is my all!

Proverbs 16:18 (16:16 LXX)

Arrogance goes before destruction
And folly before a fall.

Personal Challenge

Arrogance, or pride, comes in all kinds of forms. The challenge is to recognize it for what it is, sin, and flee from it. Am I dealing with feelings that drive me to believe that I deserve something just because I want it.? This is pride. Am I bullying those around me to do things the way that I want them to because it makes me look good? This is pride. Do I expect God to give me my every wish because I want it? That is pride. Pride only does one thing. It builds me up at the expense of others so that my fall will be even greater. The enemy cherishes that fall so that he can drive me even further into sin. What is the answer to pride? Humility! Putting others before ourselves. Loving our neighbors. Loving those who hate us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

John 6:35

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus is our source for everything that we need in our lives. Most importantly He is our source of life, both physical and eternal. He does not dangle some kind of carrot in front of us, expecting us to behave a certain way in order to receive His gift of life. He gives us this gift of life and then shows us how to live our lives so that we can fully reap that which He has for us. So, what should be my response to this gift? Take it! Cherish it! Let it permeate my life, my actions, my thoughts, and my desires so that it changes me into His image. Jesus made it clear that if we are to be recipients of His bread of life and never feel hunger or thirst again, then we must act and come to Him. He is the Gift. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 120:1-4 (119:1-4 LXX)

To the Lord in my affliction
I cried out, and He heard me.
O Lord, deliver my soul from unjust lips
And from a deceitful tongue.
What should be given You, and what added to You,
Against a deceitful tongue?
The arrows of the Mighty One are sharpened
With hot coals from the desert.

Encouraging Words

My God, our God, is always there for us, especially in our times of need or affliction. It falls upon us to cry out to Him to fulfill our needs and to submit to His judgment of what is best for us. Glory be to God!