Roots by the River

  "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink’” (John 7:37). "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water’ …. Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:10, 13-14) This spring of water is an artesian well, a flowing well, “welling up to eternal life.” Welling up has a sense of leaping up . This well provides living water in quality and abundance so that streams of living water will flow from within the Christian. Notice in both texts that the person does not drink from this well. He does not have the well until after he drinks. "Indeed the water I give him will become in h...

  A few years ago, I was talking with a young woman, and I asked her what she thought of Jesus. Her reply was a good answer but qualified with this phrase: “but I don't think he was very polite.” The more I read the Gospels, the more I am convinced her qualification is a true one. Her problem was that, to her, politeness was a high virtue, and since Jesus was not polite, He was not perfect. Many of us, like this young woman, interpret the Scripture in the light of our cultural mores . We do this because obedience to the text as it is might mean crossing or offending our Christian and secular friends. In our society, we have compromised for so long we think we are following Christ when in reality we are following the evangelical American culture. This time, as you read through your New Testament, pay attention to the hard sayings of Jesus. Here is a plan to follow for the summer. Written February 1987.

  "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 3:16-4:2). "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13). There was a time when there were very few Bibles, even in cultured lands. There were no printing presses, and most of the people were illiterate. If people received the Word, it was through the public reading of Scripture by people who could read and had the Scriptures. Now in the church today in this country, we can read, and we each own at least one Bible. A year ag...

In the last month,* I have been studying the New Testament, looking for teaching on salvation. I have been overwhelmed. It has caused me to wonder why people in evangelism (including me) always use the same few texts. It has also convinced me even more of the necessity of the distribution of New Testaments and Bibles. Evangelists and Bible teachers cannot possibly teach everybody everything they ought to know, even with internet, radio, television, and books. Learning from a teacher should not be a substitute for reading and studying the Bible. Teaching should always include an incentive to read and study for yourself. Here is a salvation text: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to ...

UGHH!! Here it is again, one of the most demanding times a student at the university must face—final exams. Without fail, they arrive sooner than expected (or wanted), and unlike taxes, finals come at least two or three times a year! It is a time that some find stimulating and rewarding, but for the majority of students it is a time that they could do without. It is a time of stress, lack of sleep, and headaches. This is especially true if you are one of those who haven't been preparing all along for this week. You find yourself with projects due that you haven't begun, books to read that are currently paperweights on your desk, and exams worth the majority of your grade, all staring you in the face. What do you do? At this point, you gut it out. Hopefully you will survive, and next time you will start preparing right from the beginning. Unfortunately, people often approach their lives in the same manner that they do the university, waiting for the last minute to prepare fo...

Have you noticed the series of listed troubles that are in 2 Corinthians? They are in chapters 1, 4, 6, 8, and 12. Have you also seen the comfort, thanksgiving, glory, rejoicing, grace, and strength in the same chapters? Please take a look and notice the connection. I will listen to what God the LORD will say; He promises peace to his people, His saints—but let them not return to folly. (Psalm 85:8) Written September 1992. This post coordinates with Friday and Saturday's readings in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com . We would love to have you reading with us.

The two greatest events in the history of the world are the creation of man and the redemption of man by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sing about these two events in Revelation 4:11 and in Revelation 5:9-10. Both hymns start out the same: “You are worthy.” There are different reasons given: “For you created all things” and “because you were slain.” The first hymn is limited to the choir of twenty-eight. For the second hymn, the twenty-eight are joined first by upwards of 100 million angels, and then by every living creature everywhere. Let us thank and praise God for our creation and redemption.   Written April 1989. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com . We would love to have you reading with us.

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ’s perseverance” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). We have all known of God's love and that our hearts should be directed into it. But we may not have known or thought of the steadfastness (RSV) or the perseverance (NIV) of Christ. What is it? And how was it shown, and how should our hearts be directed into it? Hebrews 12:1-4 answers all three questions: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the poi...

“Just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12). It seems to be a given from the Scripture that fathers encourage and comfort their children. It is part of common grace. However, in many cases fathers are not doing that. Here is a quotation from George MacDonald: “Like many Scots, while Phemy was his one joy, he seldom showed her sign of affection, seldom made her feel, and never sought to make her feel how he loved her.” Heather and Snow , George MacDonald Unhappily, in thirty-two years of ministering to high school and college-age people, I have found that the above description is an accurate description of many father-child relationships. If you are a father, please do not let it describe you.   Written April 1988. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word...