This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3.
Only by knowing God here can we prepare to meet Him at His coming. . . . But many of those who profess to believe in Christ do not know God. They have only a surface religion. They do not love God; they do not study His character; therefore they do not know how to trust, how to look and live. They do not know what restful love is, or what it means to walk by faith. . . . They fail of understanding that it is their duty to receive, in order that they may enrich others.
The world by wisdom knows not God. Many have talked eloquently about Him, but their reasoning brings men no nearer to Him, because they themselves are not in vital connection with Him. Professing themselves to be wise, they become fools. Their knowledge of God is imperfect.
We cannot by searching find out God, but He has revealed Himself in His Son, who is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. If we desire a knowledge of God we must be Christlike. . . . Living a pure life through faith in Christ as a personal Saviour will bring to the believer a clearer, higher conception of God.
Christ is a perfect revelation of God. “No man hath seen God at any time,” He says; “the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” Only by knowing Christ can we know God. And as we behold Him, we shall be changed into His image, prepared to meet Him at His coming. . . .
Now is the time to prepare for the coming of our Lord. Readiness to meet Him cannot be attained in a moment’s time. Preparatory to that solemn scene there must be vigilant waiting and watching, combined with earnest work. So God’s children glorify Him. Amid the busy scenes of life their voices will be heard speaking words of encouragement, hope, and faith. All they have and are is consecrated to the Master’s service. Thus they prepare to meet their Lord; and when He comes, they will say, with joy, “This is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us. . . . We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Maranatha p. 76
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Prayer Requests
—– For those who have been praying for my sister, Jessica, she is doing much better. THANK YOU for your prayers. God is a miracle-working, prayer answering God! Amanda
—– A few prayer would be appreciated for my daughter Michelle, she went to the ER with chest pains and left arm pains, and had a diagnosis of inflammation of the rib cartilage but no heart problems. Our God is good and I know the prayers will help !! Ed
——sad update—Tim went to sleep in Jesus yesterday. Please pray for his wife and daughter as they mourn his loss. Rose
—— Asking Prayers For My Daughter Who is In The Hospital. Andrew
—– Roderick and I need your prayers! I applied for another job and Rick has a job opportunity in Roanoke. Please pray we will get these jobs and that our farmhouse will sell quickly! Carrie
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Dear Friends
When I was four, my mother and I traveled to Detroit, Michigan to visit her Aunt Bessie. I thought Auntie Bessie was very old, but she was probably younger than I am now. She had no children, although she and her husband had always wanted some. When we came to visit she was delighted. She enjoyed having a little girl around the house.
In the middle of the night, I became very thirsty. I awakened my mother, who went to the kitchen to get me a glass of water. I followed. Auntie Bessie, hearing us, got up also. When she found that I needed a drink, she fixed me lemonade instead of the water because Detroit’s water tasted so bad. Now making lemonade in those days was a lot harder than it is today. She had to squeeze the lemons and mix in sugar. She did not have the instant powered kind. It was a lot of work for her, but she was happy to do it because she loved me.
Just as my great-aunt had to go to extra work to give me something better than Detroit’s water, so we must look for opportunities and take the extra time to bring the water of life to those around us. We might have to set aside some of our needs and desires to bring them what they need, but it is worth it. It is truly a life or death situation for them even though they may not recognize it as such..
In John chapter four we find that Jesus made a special trip to bring the water of life to a Samaritan village. “Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh 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. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” John 5:5-42
Let us follow the example of our Loving Saviour. Let us “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season” (1 Tim 4:2) as opportunities open before us. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will so control us that we will recognize those opportunities and be an ever-flowing channel to bring the water of life to others.
Rose