What Well Are You Drawing From? Faith Filled Friday

The only one that can truly satisfy the human heart is the One who made it.

Have you read Jeremiah 2 before? It's one of those in your face verses. But I love those really since I'm a give it to me straight kind of person.

"But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror," declares the LORD. "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:11-13

To hear God say to the heavens, "Be appalled... shudder with great horror..." you know what He's talking about is a pretty big deal.

When we turn to our own source for life, it's a big deal because it means turning away from Him and that is idolatry. We can't depend on two things at one time. Either we are drawing from one well or another.

I am pretty sure the summer of 2012 will always remind me of sulfur. The first half of our summer we were leading ministry projects in Durango Colorado and our bath water reeked of sulfur. (And let me tell you how fun bathtime is when your kids are screaming at the top of thier lungs "IT STINKS!!!" the entire time. sigh). Now we are in south Jersey stay at Austin's brothers house (which is awesome!) but his well water also reeks of sulfur. And I am reminded of how so often we drink out of wells that stink but for some reason don't switch which well we are pulling from.

Sometimes we know we are pulling from the wrong well/looking for life in other things besides Jesus. But sometimes we don't. After all the heart is decietful above all things right. So decietful it can trick even us.

That is why the fruit of the Spirit is so awesome. Because the fruit of the Spirit can only be just that, fruit of the Spirit, not fruit of trying really hard. It's silly to think an apple grows because it trys really hard. It's also silly to think that if we just keep trying and practicing and working on it, we will be more patient or more loving or kind or self-controlled. The fruit of the Spirit comes out of our hearts which then comes out of our mouths as we are living dependant on the Lord.

There are so many ways the Bible talks about this concept:
* Remain connected to the Lord as a vine does to a branch
* Rely on His strenth and empowerment
* Abide in Him
* Remain in Him
*Walk by the Spirit
and it goes on and on. But however you choose to say it, the reality is that we need Jesus to live His life through us. And that can only happen as we yield to Him.

But back to why the fruit of the Spirit is so awesome. Because it is a temperature gauge of our hearts. Are you drawing from a wrong well? Are you trying to get life from another source besides the Lord? You'll know by looking at your attitude. Right now, at this moment and the previous have you been patient and gentle? Have you been self-controlled and joyful? If not, you've got your bucket in the wrong well and it's time to take it out and put it in the right well.

But how?
It's just a matter of admitting it to the Lord and yielding to Him. Just the same way we came to Christ in the first place through admitting our failure to measure up to perfection and yielding to Him, is the same way we walk with Christ. Confess and surrender.

The Christian life is not a bunch of rules and make others live by. It is a dependance on the Lord, yielding to Him .It's a moment by moment thing, not a once in a lifetime thing, just like we need water on a daily basis.

"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life... Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 4:14, 7:38

I know I talk about this a lot and I hope I always do. It took me 10 years for this concept to really sink in so I don't want to grow weary from repetition fatigue.

So a question for you, today, right now in this moment, what well are you drawing from? Are you looking to other things besides the Creator for life? Are you drawing from another well to find satisfaction, admiration, adventure, adoration, affirmation, acceptance, approval etc...?
How do you know?
If so, why not admit it to God and surrender to Him right now?

And did you see this video? It's a great example of depending on the Lord and getting to see Him come through. (And I just think they're cute!)

Faith Filled Friday Blog Hop Link Up

We exist to glorify God, to display His heart and character. And I just love how we are all uniquely built to do that. So every Friday I want to give you, uniquely designed by God, an opportunity to link up your thoughts on God, art, baking, photography, parenting, marriage, writing or blogging and more if they tie into or display the the Lord somehow. 

So go ahead and link up below by clicking the link below and following the prompts. Please just let your readers know by including a link at the bottom of your post (or somewhere on your side bar) or put my button code (found on my side bar or the Faith Filled Friday Tab) so they can find these other great people glorifying God and we can continue to grow as a community. Thanks!    

And in effort to encourage others in their writing by faith, please take a minute to comment on the two posts linked up before you.    

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Who do you know that would be encouraged by this?