Leviticus 14 / Mark 6:30-56 / Psalm 40:1-10 / Proverbs 10:11-12
Proverbs 10:11a The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain…
In today’s reading, there were several connected thoughts. In Mark we saw where crowds followed Jesus everywhere He went – both because they were hungry spiritually, but also because they were hungry physically. Jesus “fed” both needs.
But we also see that the crowds were relentless. The need was so large and never-ending that Jesus and His disciples found it difficult to find time to rest and refresh. Even when they tried to get in the boat and find a quiet place to rest, the people followed them.
Then in Psalm 40 the Psalmist is waiting patiently for the Lord to help him, and as always, the Lord turned to him and heard his cry. Our heavenly Father is always there. He never gets tired of answering our prayers and taking care of our needs. His words do bring us life.
And just as Jesus taught, we are also to bring words of life to those around us. We are the godly spoken of in Proverbs and when we speak the words God gives, they produce life in others.
But what if you find yourself inundated with needs as Jesus did? If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to rest and refresh by meeting with His Father, how much more do we need to do the same! I’m not saying we should ignore the needs around us, but I am saying we must be cautious of burnout.
If we’re not spending time alone with God, filling up on His word and presence, both praying and listening to His voice, we will have no words of life to give. We may even find ourselves in danger of offering human wisdom which will not bring life to ourselves, let alone anyone else.
So, please be prepared to offer those life-giving words, but don’t forget to fill your “jar” with His presence so that what you’re pouring out is fresh water.
On Sunday, as we were talking about our message for the morning, the Lord began speaking around the room about a section in 2 Corinthians 4 – but we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
Let us not forget that the treasure we hold is God’s Spirit, meant to be poured into us and out to others.
Very good.
Thank you, my friend!