10/20/11 was the first time I opened this note, and I purposed to write a short thesis that would encapsulate both the theme of this blog of mine and of the Farniks' mission work in the Czech Republic that, for the past two summers, God sent me to help. It turned into this. Part one may be found here.
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I'm back! I suppose I need to add at least a third part to these words now. These will be an exercise in concision. (Huh. I didn't actually know that was a word. Hooray for intuitive language skills!)
The fast of a living stone. This is the struggle of missionaries living in a seemingly (on a human level) hopeless mission field, where water is too expensive to pour over the scorched earth. Yet they are sustained like a phantom piece of accordion music that never ends, because the accordion never squeezes into nothingness. But what sort of musician can invent an instrument that produces forever? And who has unfailing breath to sing without ceasing? Who has the joy and the love that presses onward to the goal, upward bound for the Summit, where Christ who is our life is? None but the Spirit of God, everlastingly powerful and loving, who gives generously to His children to conquer the world in the name of love.
I learned a little bit about the faithfulness of God this year in the Czech Republic. I saw boys become Christian men, choosing the reproach of Christ who stands outside the gate over and above the praise of fickle men who believe that morality is intuitive to clever men who worship nature and chance and wanton sexuality and violence. I sang with babies praise to our Creator, acknowledging Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Hallelujah!). I cried as boys and girls scorned the outstretched hand of Christ with their bloody hammers, and it felt as if they drove their nails straight into my heart and not into the King of creation. I laughed as I flew through the air with boys and girls on inexpensive (by Californian standards) zip-lines, all the while thinking of how best to teach them the truths of the gospel even at the expense of the more traditional English lessons for which John and I had severely underplanned and underestimated. I sighed when the team grew apart and I sighed when the team grew together; for John reminded me of how alone I truly am.
The reason for my sacrifice to this group of people halfway across the globe is the same for my daily routine. It is the fast of a living stone. I cannot help myself. I'm a living, breathing metaphorical "standing stone;" and if I kept quiet, the rocks of the ground would cry out about the majesty of Jesus. And truly my spirit was just as dead as the pebbles by the brook, but Jesus took pity on me and lifted my head and commanded me, "LIVE." "Turn your heart into stone," says Jean Valjean to his soul struggling with the concept that he (like all of us) fails to meet God's standard of , but God the Father has an incredible pity on sinners: He makes sons of Abraham out of these stony hearts on a daily basis, and these stones truly do become bread for the world as Satan tempted Jesus to make manna from stone so many years ago. Yet Christ did not yield for His own sake, that He might wrest salvation for the enslaved men as a perfect sacrifice to reconcile us to God. He has set me upon a rock; my feet cannot be moved; of whom shall I fear?; who shall not fear Him?; for this Rock is Christ, and He is shade and rest and wellsprings of water for the weary soul. The God of our fathers would hallow His name with words, but we (like children) needed pictures to accompany His story: so He did not withhold His hand from performing miracles, even smiting His own begotten Son so we might be satisfied.
A verse that inspires me and is the theme of this blog is John 7:37-39. Here it is!
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
Truly, O reader, out of the depths of my being it isn't me fueling myself. The love of Christ constrains me and quickens me like an avalanche made by a snowy rock broken out of a mountain, cut not with human hands. This is also my hope, for Christ the King does not disappoint in this life or the next, for the history of the world or our own soul's personal history.
The following excerpt is taken from the backside of one of my church's bulletins and further expounds this.
Shamelessly stolen section from the GREAT COMMISSION PUBLICATIONS, Suwanee, CA (Bible quotations from ESV)
One of the most beautiful stories in the Old Testament is that of David hiding in the cave of Adullam (2 Samuel 23:13-17). Nearby was Bethlehem, his native town, now a Philistine garrison. We can imagine the day was hot. The burning sun, the stress of pursuit and the lack of water in the cave combined to increase David's thirst. He longed aloud for the refreshing taste and thirst-quenching coolness of the water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem.
Three of his chief men broke through the Philistine lines, drew from the well, and brought the water to David. But because the men had risked their lives, he considered it too precious to drink, and poured it out as an offering to the Lord.
Bethlehem, the city of David, was the source of another well, from which the whole world may drink to quench its thirst. This is the well of living water, David's future Son, who stood up in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles and said, "IF ANYONE THIRSTS, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK" (John 7:37).
Physical thirst is tormenting--and deadly too. Some who have experienced hot, arid deserts know the fiery, choking thirst that can kill. But how much greater is the mental distress and spiritual torment of those who are thirsty and have no idea how to quench that thirst.
Jesus Christ stands before us today, just as he did at the feast long ago. "IF ANYONE THIRSTS," He calls, "LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK."
"All is provided that man can need to quench his soul's thirst," wrote Spurgeon. "To his conscience the atonement brings peace; to his understanding the gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the person of Christ is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nutriment. Thirst is terrible but Jesus can remove it. Though the soul were utterly famished, Jesus could restore it."
Three men offered David water from Bethlehem at the risk of their lives. Today the Lord offers you living water from heaven at the cost of His life, which He gave as a sacrifice for sin. Precious as it is, it is yours for the asking. If you're thirsty, come and drink.
------------------
I'm back! I suppose I need to add at least a third part to these words now. These will be an exercise in concision. (Huh. I didn't actually know that was a word. Hooray for intuitive language skills!)
The fast of a living stone. This is the struggle of missionaries living in a seemingly (on a human level) hopeless mission field, where water is too expensive to pour over the scorched earth. Yet they are sustained like a phantom piece of accordion music that never ends, because the accordion never squeezes into nothingness. But what sort of musician can invent an instrument that produces forever? And who has unfailing breath to sing without ceasing? Who has the joy and the love that presses onward to the goal, upward bound for the Summit, where Christ who is our life is? None but the Spirit of God, everlastingly powerful and loving, who gives generously to His children to conquer the world in the name of love.
I learned a little bit about the faithfulness of God this year in the Czech Republic. I saw boys become Christian men, choosing the reproach of Christ who stands outside the gate over and above the praise of fickle men who believe that morality is intuitive to clever men who worship nature and chance and wanton sexuality and violence. I sang with babies praise to our Creator, acknowledging Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Hallelujah!). I cried as boys and girls scorned the outstretched hand of Christ with their bloody hammers, and it felt as if they drove their nails straight into my heart and not into the King of creation. I laughed as I flew through the air with boys and girls on inexpensive (by Californian standards) zip-lines, all the while thinking of how best to teach them the truths of the gospel even at the expense of the more traditional English lessons for which John and I had severely underplanned and underestimated. I sighed when the team grew apart and I sighed when the team grew together; for John reminded me of how alone I truly am.
The reason for my sacrifice to this group of people halfway across the globe is the same for my daily routine. It is the fast of a living stone. I cannot help myself. I'm a living, breathing metaphorical "standing stone;" and if I kept quiet, the rocks of the ground would cry out about the majesty of Jesus. And truly my spirit was just as dead as the pebbles by the brook, but Jesus took pity on me and lifted my head and commanded me, "LIVE." "Turn your heart into stone," says Jean Valjean to his soul struggling with the concept that he (like all of us) fails to meet God's standard of , but God the Father has an incredible pity on sinners: He makes sons of Abraham out of these stony hearts on a daily basis, and these stones truly do become bread for the world as Satan tempted Jesus to make manna from stone so many years ago. Yet Christ did not yield for His own sake, that He might wrest salvation for the enslaved men as a perfect sacrifice to reconcile us to God. He has set me upon a rock; my feet cannot be moved; of whom shall I fear?; who shall not fear Him?; for this Rock is Christ, and He is shade and rest and wellsprings of water for the weary soul. The God of our fathers would hallow His name with words, but we (like children) needed pictures to accompany His story: so He did not withhold His hand from performing miracles, even smiting His own begotten Son so we might be satisfied.
A verse that inspires me and is the theme of this blog is John 7:37-39. Here it is!
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
Truly, O reader, out of the depths of my being it isn't me fueling myself. The love of Christ constrains me and quickens me like an avalanche made by a snowy rock broken out of a mountain, cut not with human hands. This is also my hope, for Christ the King does not disappoint in this life or the next, for the history of the world or our own soul's personal history.
The following excerpt is taken from the backside of one of my church's bulletins and further expounds this.
Shamelessly stolen section from the GREAT COMMISSION PUBLICATIONS, Suwanee, CA (Bible quotations from ESV)
One of the most beautiful stories in the Old Testament is that of David hiding in the cave of Adullam (2 Samuel 23:13-17). Nearby was Bethlehem, his native town, now a Philistine garrison. We can imagine the day was hot. The burning sun, the stress of pursuit and the lack of water in the cave combined to increase David's thirst. He longed aloud for the refreshing taste and thirst-quenching coolness of the water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem.
Three of his chief men broke through the Philistine lines, drew from the well, and brought the water to David. But because the men had risked their lives, he considered it too precious to drink, and poured it out as an offering to the Lord.
Bethlehem, the city of David, was the source of another well, from which the whole world may drink to quench its thirst. This is the well of living water, David's future Son, who stood up in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles and said, "IF ANYONE THIRSTS, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK" (John 7:37).
Physical thirst is tormenting--and deadly too. Some who have experienced hot, arid deserts know the fiery, choking thirst that can kill. But how much greater is the mental distress and spiritual torment of those who are thirsty and have no idea how to quench that thirst.
Jesus Christ stands before us today, just as he did at the feast long ago. "IF ANYONE THIRSTS," He calls, "LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK."
"All is provided that man can need to quench his soul's thirst," wrote Spurgeon. "To his conscience the atonement brings peace; to his understanding the gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the person of Christ is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nutriment. Thirst is terrible but Jesus can remove it. Though the soul were utterly famished, Jesus could restore it."
Three men offered David water from Bethlehem at the risk of their lives. Today the Lord offers you living water from heaven at the cost of His life, which He gave as a sacrifice for sin. Precious as it is, it is yours for the asking. If you're thirsty, come and drink.
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