Read John 4:1-15
One who gives water will get water.
-Proverbs 11:25 (NRSV)
MY favorite childhood memories include going to Grandma's country home to play with my cousins. The hand pump in the front-yard well fascinated us. We considered the pump fun to use, and we competed for the chance to fill the water buckets. The adults were only too happy to let us complete this chore, since they viewed it as work! We were not allowed to play in the water, but we filled the buckets to overflowing so we could "accidentally" get splashed. That was especially wonderful on hot, humid days.
Recently as I meditated on the lesson of Proverbs 11:25, I revisited these childhood memories. I began to understand that others can receive gifts of God's love and grace from the "splashing" that occurs during our relationship with them. Just as we children filled the water buckets to overflowing, when we allow Christ, the Living Water, to fill us, we can refresh others. In turn, we can find encouragement when we extend hope, a deepening prayer life as we intercede for others, and God's blessings when we share.
When we pay attention and look around us, we will see those who need the living water that Christ offers.
by Rachel Rhodes (Missouri, USA)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Light of the World
Read Isaiah 2:2-4
O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
-Psalm 43:3 (NRSV)
SINCE my childhood, I have kept in mind a Bible verse that has helped me during my life. It is Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." I learned the verse in Sunday school.
This verse has stayed with me throughout my life because I could transfer the words to concrete situations. When I was a little girl, we lived in the country. During the dark nights, I depended on the light from a flashlight to find my way home. The flashlight, with its little cone of light, gave me the sense of security I needed as I walked through the dark forest.
Jesus said, "I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness" (John 12:46). During the years since I was a little girl, I have learned from experience that Jesus is the best light on our way through life.
by Elsa Dagerblom (Stockholm, Sweden)
O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
-Psalm 43:3 (NRSV)
SINCE my childhood, I have kept in mind a Bible verse that has helped me during my life. It is Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." I learned the verse in Sunday school.
This verse has stayed with me throughout my life because I could transfer the words to concrete situations. When I was a little girl, we lived in the country. During the dark nights, I depended on the light from a flashlight to find my way home. The flashlight, with its little cone of light, gave me the sense of security I needed as I walked through the dark forest.
Jesus said, "I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness" (John 12:46). During the years since I was a little girl, I have learned from experience that Jesus is the best light on our way through life.
by Elsa Dagerblom (Stockholm, Sweden)
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