Ahhhhhhh…..

Romans 15:32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
1 Corinthians 16:18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.
2 Corinthians 7:13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.
2 Timothy 1:16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
Philemon 1:7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.

Is there anything better than a long rain after months of draught? What about a cold glass of water while working in the heat of the summer? How about good news that you have been waiting on for years? There are two things you must notice why contemplating these questions. First of all, there must be a source of refreshment, and secondly the recipient must have a sense of anticipation. The ground dries and cracks because it yearns to be refreshed. Your mouth can also become thirsty in the hot sun under a burden of work and the first drink makes you go “ahhhhh.” It’s like good news that your ears have been waiting to hear!

Do you think that God wants us to always be in a drought in our spiritual lives where we are running to every mirage this world has to offer. He doesn’t want us to be fooled by the mirage of life but wants our souls to rest in His oasis. He longs for us to be drinking from the Spiritual Rock who is Christ. When the children of Israel were out in the desert and complaining to Moses, God told him to take his staff and strike the rock so that water would pour out and give the 2-3 million people water. What abundance! Do you remember when Christ was pierced and blood and water flowed from His side. His grace and spiritual refreshment is available to all. However, we must look in the right place.

While Jesus was waiting by the well in John 4, a Samaritan woman approached the well to draw some water. She was quite the sinner. She had had five husbands and the one that she was with at the time was not her husband. Her life was a wreck and she would have fit into the unapproachable category that the church has established today. Jesus didn’t come for the whole but those who were broken and thirsty. Jesus asked her for a drink even though the Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans. He told her “Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). Her soul was empty and parched. She came thirsty but left overflowing with the grace God.

Once a broken cistern, the Samaritan woman became a force in her community as she allowed the life of Jesus to flow through her to the other parched souls around her. She had believed what Jesus said in John 7:37-38, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Do you believe the same today? Many are still living their lives all dammed up. Some people are still dead in sin. They wouldn’t know what living water tastes like, because their taste buds have not been awakened. Others, who claim to be Christians, are not surrendering their will on a daily basis. Every now and then, their soul might praise God on Sunday and be refreshed. However, the mirage of worldly pleasure still looks appealing instead of getting lost in the river of the Holy Spirit’s power.

Yesterday while at the mission, I met a guy named Martin who had just began walking with Christ on a daily basis. He is a butcher at a local market, and he told me that he was tired of the marijuana and sexual addiction. A few months ago, Jesus really began speaking to his heart and he began to change. He no longer wanted to sin, and instead of being a taker; he wanted to be a giver. With overwhelming joy, this 6-foot strong man was wiping down tables, smiling and sharing the name of Christ with the parched souls all around. I couldn’t help but want to be around him as God’s love radiated from His heart. The only way that we can prove that there is a God in Heaven is by how we love. Has their been a change in your heart, and if so, are you being the person that make everyone go aughhh or ahhhhhhhhhhh?