Day Twenty-Nine: Water

Maybe you are flipping through facebook and just stopped in to the blog today on a whim..."What does this chick have to say?" Or maybe you came on purpose, wondering, "What does this chick have to say?" Which ever it is, will you take the time to dig into the Word with me?

The book of Ezekiel (yes, Ezekiel) is an intimidating book. I didn't read it...AT ALL...for a long time. But a few years ago I worked up my courage and jumped in. I wasn't going to let a book of prophecy scare me. So I began with fear and trembling. And you know what happened? I didn't understand it. Ha! It's a lot of crazy psychedelic visions.

At the end of Ezekiel, however, I stumbled across some interesting passages. I don't have a seminary degree. I don't know all the ins and outs of theology, but I do know that the Spirit lives in me and He taught me a great lesson in these verses. I know that we interpret scripture with scripture and in my opinion what I'm about to share can be backed up with scripture. But if I'm wrong, I'm sorry! Write me an email and set me straight. I need it.

In Ezekiel 43 the glory of God returns to the temple. His glory fills the temple. It's a beautiful picture...

"...and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory....The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple." (Ez 43:2,4-5)

As I read these verses, I thought, "But now I am the temple (1 Cor 6:19). Do I look like that? Is the glory of God that amazing and wonderful in me? Am I radiant with His glory?" I prayed, "Lord, if this is true in me, help me to believe it. I have not thought of you radiating from me...filling me yes, but not radiating. If it's not true in me, then help me. Show me how to radiate you."

That in itself would be enough information to chew on for weeks, but as I continued to read I came across chapter 47. The vision continues. We are brought back to the temple. But now something amazing is happening. Water begins "leaking" from the temple. It is coming out from all sides. And then the water begins to increase. At first it is just ankle-deep,then knee-deep and then waist deep, until it is a river that could not be crossed. The water is now deep enough to swim in.

So I begin thinking, if the temple is me, what is the water?

"'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive." (John 7:38) 

The Spirit is the water? Then what is the meaning of the water being ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist deep and so deep it cannot be crossed? In my imagination I know that there are times that the Spirit is more active in my life. Whether it is because of sin or a life-changing event (like moving overseas), I fluctuate between being filled by the Spirit and being indwelt by the Spirit. Indwelt...that is a strange word. It means that the Spirit is permanently present in me. I know He is in me always, but He is not always filling me. I want to take time each day and make sure I am ready for Him to fill me completely.

There are times that life gets to me and I'm dry. I went through a hard time when Chloe was first born. She had "colic," that's the name for "I don't  really know what's wrong with your baby...she just cries." I was so worried, I couldn't sleep. The Spirit was just ankle-deep those days. Then I've had days of just surviving...getting through school without raising my voice, making yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and doing another load of laundry. There was nothing really wrong, but the Spirit was just knee-deep those days. There are also the waist deep days. I love those days! Those are the days that Jesus and I are moving through my days and I am watching Him do wonders. Maybe it's just being patient in school or sharing with a friend. But those days I see Him, I chase Him and I can't keep my eyes off of Him.

Then there's that part about the water being a river. It's so deep you can swim in it. A river that cannot be crossed means you can't touch the bottom because the water is rushing too fast. That imagery makes me want to kick up my heels and see where this torrent will take me. I want to do a big old unattractive cannon ball right in the middle of that river. Again, Peter comes to mind...

"Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he wrapped his outer garment around him and jumped into the water." (John 21:7)

If I'm to move with the Spirit in this river, I must live by faith...faith that Jesus is the only way to life, faith that He can live my life better than I can, faith that I will not be afraid but follow Him wherever and to whomever He goes to. When I live in this river, when I allow His currents to move me then I will truly be a temple that the Lord gushes from. I want that. I want His Spirit to touch others. I want to well up to the point that I splash all those around me who don't know Him...

"...whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)

And what happens when I live by faith and Jesus' Spirit is splashing those around me? Ezekiel 47 continues...

Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live...Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47:9,12)

If I am filled with the Spirit then He will give life to others through me. When He is free to move wherever He wants and touch whomever He wants then those around me will be touched by Life. Because Jesus is Life (Col 3:4). I will be used to help others bear fruit "because the water from the sanctuary flows to them."

The only way I have found to live by this faith is to each day sit before Him and remember all He has done for me. When I remember He died for me and rose again to destroy the power of sin in my life, I am filled with gratefulness. That gratefulness propels my faith (2 Cor 5:14-15).

As I am ending this commitment, I want to make sure you know it is because of Jesus that I live in hope and joy. He is my life (Col 3:4).

Love from the islands,

Twyla