(Submitted By Jim Garner)
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.” John 4:14
This past week at Intensity Youth
Camp I thought a lot about water. Summer
heat in Texas always leaves everything in its path thirsty and in desperate
need of liquid refreshment and renewal.
If you have ever been to Lake
Brownwood and the Heart of Texas Baptist Encampment you know what I mean when I
say both are desperate for water. I have been told by veterans’ of youth camp
that not too many years ago that there was plenty of water close to the camp
where you could fish a few feet from the buildings. I never would have guessed
it. The continual Texas drought has left
both lake and grounds very thirsty and struggling, and water not even close to
the camp.
The lake and grounds weren’t the
only ones struggling with the summer Texas heat. Our students and leaders drank at least a
thousand bottles of water during our week in Brownwood just to stay hydrated to
keep up with the camp schedule including the active outdoor recreation in the
middle of the day.
However, I’m thankful we could
enjoy our many bottles of “liquid gold” during the week we called bottled
water. Wow, did it taste good and refresh us!
With each gulp you could feel renewal and strength returning. At times we ran low on supply and those last
few bottles seemed like a precious commodity that you would be willing to pay
for over ten times the amount it normally brought.
In the same way, I was reminded
of the “spiritual” drought that can take place in our lives if we are not
tapped into the source of living water, Jesus Christ. It can happen so fast and before we realize
it we are left drained, defeated, or dying.
But thanks be to God and his
infinite grace so we can be refreshed and filled with His living water and
power that far surpasses the “drought” of sin and selfishness. The “heat” we face in our lives has no real
power to stand up under the drenching and flow of God’s love and spirit we
receive when we are “tapped” into Him through worship and Bible study. It leaves us filling satisfied and renewed in
our purpose and passions.
Simply, I have found the correct
answer in my life to always come down to Jesus and answering the question: “Am
I tapped into the source of living water or am I just going to keep receding
like Lake Brownwood? God’s power and
refreshing was so evident each day as we engaged Him in the truth of His word,
focused on Christian unity, and ministered to one another in Christ.
It was exhilarating! Won’t you
join us as we return from Intensity camp and let’s drink of the Lord’s goodness
together!
Scripture to Claim:
For I
will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour
my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah
44:3 ESV
