Staying Connected with God: Living beside the streams of living water!
Psalm 1:3 “He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
What an awesome word for me this morning; especially when I am feeling the temptation to put this devotional aside and turn on the TV. I am feeling the temptation to uproot my tree of life from the living water and take it to a deserted place. Why am I tempted to do this? Why is it that I still want to eat the fruit, even when I know that eating the fruit only sends me to a deserted world away from the living water of my life? I am reminded today that I will only live into my purpose in the world, if I am connected to the living water of Jesus Christ; I will only live a productive life if I am connected to the living water of Jesus Christ. The lesson is simple; if I stay connected to Jesus then I will yield fruit in season and my leaves will not wither. If I am connected to Jesus I will be a productive force within the world for the Kingdom of God and I will not grow weary but through the Holy Spirit be empowered to continue living a life in service to God as I seek to produce fruit for the Kingdom. However, if I stop planting myself beside the living water then my leaves will begin to wither and my fruit will cease; I will stop living a productive life in the world; I will stop fulfilling my role within the world and my life will be empty, dry, and withered up. It all rests upon where I am planted!
Lord, help me to be planted by the streams of living water today. May your living water flow into the roots of my life; may it nourish my life that I may produce fruit that is in season and may my leaves stay healthy and not wither regardless of the weather of my life. Help me to realize that unless I am planted by the living water of your grace that my life is nothing but useless chaff. Expose those areas of my life that are not connected to your living water and give me the grace to tap into my source of life. Protect me from the temptation to live for myself and to move away from the streams of your grace. I cannot do it alone and without your grace I will only uproot my life, live for myself, and find myself in the dessert of the world. Rescue me from me today and hide me in the shadow of your love and do with my life what I cannot do by myself; keep me connected to the living water that I may live the life you intended for me and experience the joy of being connected to the living water of the world. Amen!!!
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