Modern Cisterns
“for my people have committed two evils:they have forsaken me,the fountain of living waters,and hewed out cisterns for themselves,broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
-Jeremiah 2:13
This verse is powerful and is truly sharper than any double edged sword. It cuts to the core of my spirit and causes me to take a second look into the original meaning. I believe His people today are very similar to those to the Israelites Jeremiah wrote of. We are distracted, long for instant gratification, and although God proves Himself, we quickly forget His provision and faithfulness, turning instead to things of this world. Let us break this verse down together:
These people, His chosen, while sinning in many ways, have committed two principle evils. The original Hebrew of forsaken in this instance means to abandon or leave behind. This is a deliberate action, a willing action. According to one Commentary, this is “…signifying that when men (or women) forsake God’s word, which is the fountain of life, they reject God Himself, and so fall to their own inventions, vain confidence and procure themselves destruction.” How many times have I brought destruction upon myself by turning away from God, and rejecting His way for my own inventions of fulfillment? And yet not one has proved itself to fill the crevices of my heart and soul. Oh for a moment we may tell ourselves it works, that the praise of man and the success of this world is enough to quench the thirst of the spirit within me that is made for eternal things, (Ecc 3:11).
And all the while, this fountain remains available by way of the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the source of life. This is the only thing in the entire world, whether past, present or future that will satisfy my thirst fully. (Read John 4:13-14).
But as the Israelites, so we hew or dig, make and cleave areas in our own life in which to find satisfaction.
Picture yourself, in a desert, depleted of any true source of nourishment and sustenance except a beautiful well, ready for you to draw its cool water and quench your soul. All else is empty, vacant, desolate and dry. Although you are aware of its presence, you ignore the well, turn from it and wonder aimlessly through this desert land. You suddenly believe you will find water beneath the parched, hot land which you walk upon. You dig feverishly, desperate for even a drop of your water. The pit is deep, but you have reached no source of water. In all your effort, you are empty, more desolate than ever, and feel as if you have wasted your precious affections upon this disillusionment.
This is the vision the Lord gave me of us, His beloved people. Only the situation is far graver, for it is not of flesh and blood, but of spirit and soul. Why do, as His people, continue to carve areas of our life that we create ourselves? Why do we stand upon “vain confidence” and manmade gratifications when the Word so clearly forbids it. When we have a need and go to anyone or anything else to fill it we have sinned. But look long enough; be still enough to SEE the need. So often we do not, but merely pursue these “other lovers”, (Hosea 2), without consideration of the deeper need within. The cry of my heart is to be free and in that freedom to glorify God’s name and help others find freedom from useless idols and worldly ways. Are we set-apart beloved? Or are we building cisterns that hold no water, and believing they JUST might give a drop of what the Lord offers in abundance?
I must confess my own lack of devotion to God’s word, love, way and commitment to see His Bride sanctified and set-apart. I grieve with my Father in heaven over those who claim to know Christ and yet live lives like those who are in darkness. There is no justification we can concoct that makes what He clearly forbids ok. Let us look in the mirror and not forget the face we see. In the same way, as James writes, let us be doers of the word and not merely hearers. Oh beloved, rebuke me when I fall off the narrow, when my eyes are not fixated on the cross of my Lord Jesus. And be not afraid to rebuke one another. This is holy and true love and a glorification to our Father.
Oh that we would be this serious and committed to the death of self and the life of Christ within us, (John 3:30). Lord, dispel empty words and revive us to full lives!
My the Lord say of us that we have devotion, love as a bride, and an obedience to follow Him into the wilderness. (Jeremiah 2:2).
BY ANY COST DEAR LORD, BY ANY ROAD~
Kate
-Jeremiah 2:13
This verse is powerful and is truly sharper than any double edged sword. It cuts to the core of my spirit and causes me to take a second look into the original meaning. I believe His people today are very similar to those to the Israelites Jeremiah wrote of. We are distracted, long for instant gratification, and although God proves Himself, we quickly forget His provision and faithfulness, turning instead to things of this world. Let us break this verse down together:
These people, His chosen, while sinning in many ways, have committed two principle evils. The original Hebrew of forsaken in this instance means to abandon or leave behind. This is a deliberate action, a willing action. According to one Commentary, this is “…signifying that when men (or women) forsake God’s word, which is the fountain of life, they reject God Himself, and so fall to their own inventions, vain confidence and procure themselves destruction.” How many times have I brought destruction upon myself by turning away from God, and rejecting His way for my own inventions of fulfillment? And yet not one has proved itself to fill the crevices of my heart and soul. Oh for a moment we may tell ourselves it works, that the praise of man and the success of this world is enough to quench the thirst of the spirit within me that is made for eternal things, (Ecc 3:11).
And all the while, this fountain remains available by way of the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the source of life. This is the only thing in the entire world, whether past, present or future that will satisfy my thirst fully. (Read John 4:13-14).
But as the Israelites, so we hew or dig, make and cleave areas in our own life in which to find satisfaction.
Picture yourself, in a desert, depleted of any true source of nourishment and sustenance except a beautiful well, ready for you to draw its cool water and quench your soul. All else is empty, vacant, desolate and dry. Although you are aware of its presence, you ignore the well, turn from it and wonder aimlessly through this desert land. You suddenly believe you will find water beneath the parched, hot land which you walk upon. You dig feverishly, desperate for even a drop of your water. The pit is deep, but you have reached no source of water. In all your effort, you are empty, more desolate than ever, and feel as if you have wasted your precious affections upon this disillusionment.
This is the vision the Lord gave me of us, His beloved people. Only the situation is far graver, for it is not of flesh and blood, but of spirit and soul. Why do, as His people, continue to carve areas of our life that we create ourselves? Why do we stand upon “vain confidence” and manmade gratifications when the Word so clearly forbids it. When we have a need and go to anyone or anything else to fill it we have sinned. But look long enough; be still enough to SEE the need. So often we do not, but merely pursue these “other lovers”, (Hosea 2), without consideration of the deeper need within. The cry of my heart is to be free and in that freedom to glorify God’s name and help others find freedom from useless idols and worldly ways. Are we set-apart beloved? Or are we building cisterns that hold no water, and believing they JUST might give a drop of what the Lord offers in abundance?
I must confess my own lack of devotion to God’s word, love, way and commitment to see His Bride sanctified and set-apart. I grieve with my Father in heaven over those who claim to know Christ and yet live lives like those who are in darkness. There is no justification we can concoct that makes what He clearly forbids ok. Let us look in the mirror and not forget the face we see. In the same way, as James writes, let us be doers of the word and not merely hearers. Oh beloved, rebuke me when I fall off the narrow, when my eyes are not fixated on the cross of my Lord Jesus. And be not afraid to rebuke one another. This is holy and true love and a glorification to our Father.
Beth Moore writes, that “we receive salvation but we need to seek satisfaction.” I know from my own walk with God as well as those from many around me that we are largely dissatisfied. This is because we lack the devotion to SEEK satisfaction in Him. I think of my past, and the energy I put in to maintain friendships, to please others, to find validation in things other than God, yet my own pursuit of God is at times stagnant. What a misrepresentation of the FOUNTAIN of LIFE found in JESUS CHRIST! May if pursue Him with a passion and fervency that is unparallel with any other pursuit in my life. May I seek the will and end of the Lord, not the aims of my own will. As Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India for some 50 years wrote,
"I wish Thy way
"I wish Thy way
And when in me myself should rise,
and long for something otherwise,
Then Lord, take sword and spear And slay.”
Oh that we would be this serious and committed to the death of self and the life of Christ within us, (John 3:30). Lord, dispel empty words and revive us to full lives!
My the Lord say of us that we have devotion, love as a bride, and an obedience to follow Him into the wilderness. (Jeremiah 2:2).
BY ANY COST DEAR LORD, BY ANY ROAD~
Kate
posted by Kate at 12:04 AM
10 Comments:
I think your blog is entirely true. you can see the dissatification in the eyes of christians here in la crosse. i too grieve for them. for they know that the well is there in front of them, but time and time again they turn away. i myself do it all the time! how foolish are we! but the lord continues to teach me when those "cravings linked to emptiness only He can fill" start to creep up on me, i must turn to him, even though my mind and heart dont understand how an invisible God could satisfy a very physical need or even heavy emotional need. i love that verse in jeremiah. and my heart also grieves and breaks for the Lord. to feel how He feels at that moment. wow. what a wonderful God we have. a wonderful Lord and KING who strives and stays by our side even when we turn from him time and time again right after He has just provided and remained faithful. thank you kate for your input, it is a breath of fresh air. and i do hope that you, me and all devoted christ followers take the first step today in SEEKING fulfillment and utter delight in the Lord. i really dont think we can comprend what that truly means. we say it all the time and think it but i believe there are few who actually actively do it and attain it. wow i could just write forever, i feel Gods love for us and for you too kate. His utter desire for his beloved children to seek him and drink of the EVERLASTING. kate the Father is very pleased with your aroma of sacrifice and offering to him, and he desires to do what you describe for you as well. thanks again my beloved, compassionate, and active sister. Ashley :)
Oh precious Kate, that is one amazing verse. I was in shock when I read it. WOW! Why do we make more work for ourselves; dig a hole that will never satisfy. I know for me it is too feed my ego, my flesh. The pride inside of me competes for what I truly long for. I desire one thing, but then am stripped of it because of my flesh. I repent, feel bad and desire to change and then the cycle keeps going. The cry and desperation of my heart is to be truly changed by the Lord. I like that quote you posted “I wish Thy way And when in me myself should rise, and long for something otherwise, Then Lord, take sword and spear And slay.” I truly want to have the Lord take his sword and spear and slay the pride in my life. It is such a daily, moment-to-moment, struggle of mine and of everybody’s. I feel that I can’t defeat it. I ask myself why, when I so desperately want to be selfless and be freed from myself, do I dig that hole. Because I am ignorant on my own of the bigger picture. God’s ways and thoughts are so far above mine. Why do we chase after other lovers, when it is more work? We see the well, but why don’t we drink? For me the well doesn’t always seem clear because we are looking out of a poor mirror, because of the distractions, because I don’t ask to be filled with the spirit, because I don’t seek the kingdom first and my flesh takes victory. I need to be praying against the one who was defeated by his pride, and I need to sit at the throne of my savior in desperation of change and yield all the control back to the one who it belongs to. I also like when you said that “May if pursue Him with a passion and fervency that is unparallel with any other pursuit in my life.” Amen to that. That was a great conviction to my heart. Oh Kate, thank you for your heart, your fire, and your passion to sanctify the chosen.
In Christ,
Jodi
Love the verse! Thank the Lord for His word. Love the 2nd comment, it takes responsiblity. Like the first comment in part, but "Christians in La Crosse?" Which ones? Are you thinking of someone specifically whom you see sinning? How can you make that judgement? If there are certain people you see sin in, than the bible CALLS you to confront them personally! not in public right away! If you truly "grieve for them" than go to them in private and try to encourage them to walk more in step with the Lord!
I like all the comments on here so far too.... good point by whoever left the laft comment. I wanted to kind of focus on another aspect of this though for a nminute. How can all of this stuff, all of the unrighteous living and unfaithfulness among Christian brothers and sisters fit in with Gods ultimate sovereign plan. We have the scriptures to show us the straight and narrow, and we have everything we need from Christ to live in Godliness, but just as Paul, we love to do what we hate (I am too lazy to find all the scripture references here so if anybody wants to help me out....:) But as 2 Timothy 2:13 says: "if we are faithless, he remains faithful- for he cannot deny himself." I believe that God gets more glory from a Christian who is in sin who humbles himself and repents and changes his life than if that did not happen. I have been on both sides, in my own sin, and seeing others sin and change. God gets so much glory from one who is lukewarm (whom Jesus will spit out) turning into one on fire. God will discipline and change lives, while we can keep praying and preaching Christ and Him crucified. Christ is the headstone of his church and he cares about it deeply. He will and can change it for his glory. I think an all sovereign God knows how to get the most glory out of his people. All right, I think I am starting to drone on, but i just wanted to share that with you all. Let me know what you think about all of this stuff I just said.
this is my response to the latter two comments. i by no means meant for my comment about la crosse christians to be everyone. i was specifically thinking of a few people, so im sorry if i made la crosse christians feel like this. i have been praying for the few that i have thought and collecting verses from them. and you dont even know how i have truly grieved from them in the past few days. i KNOW that the bible calls you to tell your brothers and sisters when they are sinning, believe me i have thought about that so much! and been convicted and am currently acting on it. thank you. i struggle with not caring about people think about me which yes is a sin, but i am always asking the Lord for his spirit to give me boldness in Christ. so my comment was unfair. but so was yours cuz i think we were both assuming things about each other. and i certaintly was not trying to make a judgement off of unknown facts. and i also admitted i do much of the same and took responsibily. and i really didnt think of this being a public act, but i can see where you get that. i know this is viewed by many people, so once again excuse the very broad reference.if you want to respond that would be great. Ashley
Ashley, I do not think either of the comments were attacks on your comment at all, just a healthy reminder of protection and Biblical rebuking. We all see Christians who do not follow Christ as they should, and I do not doubt that you grieve for them. I am not trying to say that you do not grieve over them at all. How much more must God grieve over them!!! But blessed are the sheep who is found and the son who returns. It is Biblical to rebuke in private first, then with two or more people, then in front of the whole church. The problem is that it never gets farther than the first step. It usually does not even go to the first step. Nice work in discerning right from wrong Ashley, and having the courage to speak the truth. And your humility through your comment is noted and respected. It takes courage to admit ones sin, repent and change through Christ. Continue to live for Christ alone, not for man. And thank you to whoever wrote the 2nd comment to remind us all how Biblical rebuking should be done. We all need to be reminded from time to time to deal with people individually, instead of as a whole. Thank God that he spells out how to do this in his Word (Matthew 18 I believe, I do not have my Bible on hand right now).
Over all, we must never feel above or better than those who are not doing good with the LORD. I do not think anybody here is struggling with that (at least I do not discern that from any of the comments). God is in complete control and will change his sheep. We shall not be as Elijah, saying we are the only one left, when God has saved 5000 of his people that we do not know about. Now one last thing that Christians always seem to say, and I do not understand why. "Who are you to make that judgment?" or anything like that. Well, according to the Bible, we are royalty in Christ, sons of the one True God, and filled with the Holy Spirit. We are called clearly through scripture to judge Christians around us (1 Corinthians 5). We shall not judge the world, because God will judge them. How i do it, if someone claims to be a Christian, then I will treat them as a Christian and judge them using the Holy Spirit with Godly discernment. Regardless of whether we believe they are Christians or not (God will judge salvation, not us), if someone wants to be one we mine as well treat them as one. Let us keep that in mind when we talk with our friends who claim to live for Christ, while their lives say something different. That goes for every single one of us, me especially. As Paul does, I do not boast in myself or what I think I know, I boast in Christ and Him Crucified alone. I am a sinner and dead in my transgressions, but Christ is Christ. As John Reuben says, "you don’t make it on your own merit only royalty inherits the kingdom." We are royalty with Christ. Let us stand on the truth of the good news, and live for Christ.
Jeremy
I got this article from a friend who goes to Bethel. It was in her school newspaper, written by a student. It gave me a new perspective on so many things. I know it doesn't have much to do with Kate's topic, but about the comments. Hope it helps and let me know what you think.
By Tamara Trenter
Did I miss the memo about keeping sin a secret? According to some anthropology classmates of mine last semester, if I were to be a missionary, I should not tell unbelievers that they are sinful. Instead, I should just "show God's love" to them, because the Holy Spirit does the convicting. Now another semester has rolled around. In chapel a well-known pastor and author preached on love. He said we should not be judgmental, and we should "unconditionally love unbelievers," including the terrorists (I guess implying that we shouldn't be seeking justice for their killings). His main point, "love is everything," seems to reflect a trend being preached lately in evangelical churches. Today, calling someone to repentance is considered unloving or intolerant. Instead we have an extreme emphasis on love, a deemphasize on justice, and fear of using words like "sin" or "sinner" outside of church. I think we need to snap out of it and realize how this approach has diluted our ability to witness. In the online "Short Report" entitled "Dare We Say Jesus is the Only Way?" author Tom Short comments that, "The 'tolerant' spirit of our age militates against any attempt to 'convert' anyone!"
My classmates believed in a very convenient evangelistic approach for our postmodem age-a tolerant, completely nonconfrontational, lackluster method.
Clearly, postmodernism is the filthy tributary that is flowing into the river of Christianity. It is polluting and watering down how we view love. Ryan Dobson, youth speaker' and son of James Dobson of Focus on the Family recently wrote a book with Jefferson Scott. Its surprising title is Be Intolerant: Because Some Things Are Just Stupid. In an online interview, Scott explained that the book targets young people "trying to be 'inclusive Christians' or 'tolerant Christians,' those who perhaps wink at sin in order to not offend someone, who wonder why they can't love' Jesus and other people love Buddha and everyone be okay with that. "
The Bible calls Christians to strive for a more challenging view of love, indeed, a tougher mission-one that differentiates us from the world. We are to proclaim Truth to unbelievers. John 14:6 tells us that no one can come to the Father except through Jesus, and it does not include an exemption for a post modem era. Because of God's Word, we can proclaim this life-saving Gospel with authority.
Now for the disclaimer: proclaiming with authority does not mean acting imbecilic, we should never' be witnessing in a self righteous, nasty, or hypocritical manner, by any means. Of course, that turns people off. We are to gently instruct (2 Timothy 2:25) and speak in humility. Since we know that we've been saved purely by grace and not because of a single thing we've done, we have no right to be prideful (Ephesians 2: 1-10). And after all, witnessing should be something we're doing out of sincere love. Ryan Dobson writes the following in the introduction to his book: "...I speak my mind about what's right and wrong, but I don't do it to be a jerk. Believe it or not, I do it out of love. If I didn't really care about my friends, I'd let them go on and ruin their lives." Jesus exemplified love. We all agree on that. But how did he exemplify it? As Scott states: "He [Jesus] was inclusive toward the individual but intolerant of “Sin." Both were loving acts. By Jesus being inclusive, he means that Jesus talked and ate with the outcasts of society, and He went to the scandalous places. This was a radical move and Jesus was criticized for it. Yet Jesus didn't just blend in with his wayward company. He stood out. Be had a purpose in mind, and it was to change people's hearts. Jesus was not "unconditionally accepting." His condition was this: that people give up their lives, take up their crosses, and follow Him.
Scott puts it well: "He emanated holiness. He was called Rabbi, not Bubba. People knew what He stood for. He didn't look like them or act like them or have a reputation like theirs." Jesus flipped over moneychangers' tables, spoke extremely harsh words to the Pharisees, and wasn't scared to say the word "repent." Jesus' first recorded words in Mark were as follows: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel." He came into Galilee proclaiming these words in front of everyone! Jesus is not the only expected to talk about repentance. Besides the Great Commission, Luke 24:46-47 refers to preaching "repentance and forgiveness of sins… to all nations." Therefore, we all should be proclaiming the full Gospel, even if we are labeled "judgmental." In the end, Jesus paid the ultimate price for caring so much about our souls. He demonstrated that "showing God's love" included doing what might be unpopular, seemingly intolerant, and even "judgmental" We, too, will pay a price if we stand up boldly for Truth. We may lose friends or more. But after all, what does it mean to take up our cross? Why did Paul say we would endure suffering and persecution?
Tough times can be a good sign: a preacher once said that if your life is comfortable, that could be an indication that you're not doing that you should for Christ. Scott declared, "I want you to speak out for your Lord out of love for your friends " Let's all take a leap of faith and do this. My challenge: the next time you talk to a friend, an unbeliever, tell them about Jesus. It's time we proclaim the Name!
Ashley- I am truly sorry if my comment made you feel hurt or anything. I was trying to get more at a point that many times we as a family, royal sons and daughters of our King, as Jeremy stated, are quick to take our greif over sin that we see and turn it into somewhat of a generalization. And I would just hate for this blog to end up being a place where we come to just stand on a soapbox and go on about the "lukewarm" state of our fellow believers instead of actually living out scripture in our daily lives and going to our friends, our brothers and sisters, in love, in private, and expressing our concern for their walk.
Jeremy- the bible does say that we are to judge those within the church, but not before we take a deep look within ourselves and confess our own sin, and examine our motives. The motive for rebuke ultimately should be love, love for the sinner, and not only love for God's commandments. Because a person will sense when you are not genuine, and sometimes it is so hard to see our own hidden motives. And I'm not saying that you do that or anything, I just think that we need to be cautious when we lump people together and judge them. Plus, God does want unity within His church, and I liked your remark about judging salvation, because we can't judge that! And it upsets me when one group of Christians sets itself against another. We need to remember that God is love, and God is just, and He is such a mystery! I think that we need to remember that and perhaps even those who believe the whole "love is everything" thing really do love the Lord as much as those who want to see more righteous living taking place. It is necessary to point out sin, because without us acknowledging sin there can be no repentence and no salvation, so when witnessing to someone it has to be stated that we've all offended God; however, I do believe that it can also be good to establish a trusting relationship, one based on, yup, love, in order to tell someone that they need the Lord. The Holy Spirit definitely softens hearts, and witnessing without a pre-established relationship is effective as well! The Lord works in so many ways and some come to faith in Christ simply by hearing the four spiritual laws; others come to know Him through Christians who didn't say anything right away, but rather just "showed them love." So yes, I believe that both "sides" of this issue could indeed have some good points, and both have some biblical backing. Now I've typed so much that I've lost my train of thought so I'll stop! but I appreciate everything that has been said here and I just pray that we are careful to keep unity as Paul wrote in his letters. I am so guilty of this too, only I find that I am often judgemental of the Christians that I think are judgemental, and not the ones that are sinning in other ways. Self-righteousness is a sin, and so is worldly living, so there is a paradox. I, as well as anyone else, need to examine myself before I "judge."
Katey Ann,
Oh how I do love reading your blog. I will just jump right in to what I have to say about this one! It is so very true that we as Christians dig a hole for ourselves. We so often run to other lovers as in Hosea 2, and we see all of the flashy prizes that the enemy dangles right at our fingertips. We let our pride set in and think we can dig for water ourselves when the well already belongs to us. We are a fast-paced society and we are often too busy to notice the One and Only who gives us true satisfaction. During my Bible study today I was doing the section on laying aside busyness. I didn't think that that was a huge problem for me, but oh boy did it open my eyes. Here is the verse: "...for when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no on listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me." Any time we choose something that is not God, it displeases Him. We are so busy that we so easily forget, like Kate said, the many times the Lord proves Himself faithful. We get caught up in our own self-worth, our own problems, our own confidence when we already have freedom in and through Christ. We waste our time on things don't matter! We search for things that already belong to us through Him. We "hew out cisterns for ourselves". But why not drink from the well the Lord has provided. It is perfect. How foolish of us accept anything short of His perfection. My prayer is for us to be stripped of our foolishnesss and to solely live for the Beauty of the Lord. For His glory. In order to do this we need to spend time with Him, read His word, know Him intimately, and LISTEN to Him. I pray for desire, obedience, and perseverance! Let our lives be a reflection of his greatness!
P.S. The reference for that verse is Isaiah 66:4
Post a Comment
<< Home