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BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY BLOG@ Rhythms of Grace: a Journey into RestSustenance for the journey into rest and peace
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THIS SERIES: LIVING IN THE OVERFLOW Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. [John 7:37-38] There are three more things about receiving the Living Waters (see the other posts in this series). 1.) We need to believe in Jesus, which is defined by Strong’s Concordance as ‘to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, to place confidence in, or to put trust in’. This believing is a choice, rather than a feeling, or a spiritual ‘state’. We choose to believe that Jesus is who He says He is, and that He will do what He says He will do. 2.) We need to be thirsty. People living in hot countries know all about thirst, and the necessity of regular access to clean water. For those of us living in cooler spots, hydration can be often overlooked, with many of us apparently chronically dehydrated. We are frequently urged to drink more water, which is commonly not our drink of choice. However, those who have started to increase their water intake often report that the more they drink, the more they want. Likewise, we can stimulate our spiritual thirst by spending time with Jesus. 3.) We need to know it is a gift. When gifts are offered, the only expectation of the recipient is to receive it with thanksgiving. This means there is nothing we can do to earn this gift. No amount of labouring in prayer, fasting, being good or any other effort on our part will make us worthy of it. That has already been done for us through the cross. All we need to do is simply ask… REMOVING BOULDERS  Sometimes water courses get blocked by fallen trees, boulders and other debris reducing flow to a trickle. Similarly, the streams of living water flowing from our innermost being can be hindered by blockages. We need to take time to check—and clear them away. Some obstructions are caused by… Sin and guilt. Many Christians are plagued by a general feeling of guilt or malaise, of having fallen short, of not being ‘worthy’; and others by the debilitating effect of conscious, continued sin. Both of these conditions restrict the Spirit’s flow. If we face up to, and deal with the latter, and keep ‘short accounts’ with the Lord to deal with the former, we can take our sins to the cross, ask for forgiveness and the blood of Jesus to cleanse us, and then trust that this has been done [1 John 1:9]. Then, clothed in His righteousness (a gift we don’t deserve, and cannot earn), we can repudiate the accusations of the Evil One, and a guilty conscience [Isaiah 61:10]. You can read more on sin and guilt on the page, MISSING THE MARK: OVERCOMING GUILT AND SHAME. Unforgiveness. Jesus was quite clear, unforgiveness constitutes a serious obstacle to the flow of His grace [Matthew 6:14-15] . As each of us has been freely forgiven, we are not given the option of holding on to grudges—in fact the measure of the forgiveness we have received is directly related to our willingness to forgive others. It’s good to examine our hearts regularly to root out this incapacitating attitude. What’s restricting today’s flow? The surly checkout operator? The recalcitrant teenager? The fraudulent co-worker? Take time out to forgive right now. If you are struggling with forgiveness, this pdf: HEALING THE WOUNDED HEART may help you. Fear and unbelief. Often the Spirit’s flow is blocked by shear unbelief and/or fear. These twin negatives are fed by an erroneous understanding of God’s character and provision, but are defeated by hope—the confident expectation of good, from a good God. Our faith is in a person, not an abstract set of principles and laws [Hebrews 10:23]. Let’s confess our fearful thoughts and our lack of faith to Him, and ask Him to show us His truth, His perspective. Read the pdf, ‘LETTER TO THE FEARFUL’ for more on this. Let’s take steps this week to remove blockages, and receive the gift of Living Water—our world is thirsty! THIS WEEK’S GRACE RHYTHM
NEXT WEEK: NEW SERIES HOW TO FIND REST IN THE LORD GET IN TOUCH!
[Photo credits: Chris Stenger (giraffe); Shelby Gardner (boulders); Jayne Harris (bottle) @ Unsplash, with thanks]
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