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Thursday, February 24, 2011

“Drawing from the Wells of Salvation”

(part 2)

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but 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 4:11-14

Just outside the town of Sychar, Jesus has an encounter with a Samaritan woman by a place known as Jacob’s Well. In one of the most compelling passages of Scripture in the Book of John, Jesus reveals Himself to this woman as the Messiah. Moved by her encounter with Christ the woman left her water jar and immediately rushed back to town and began to tell everyone what had happened to her and urged them to come see him. Many believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony.

I am convinced that God desires to see great outpourings like this still today! However, witnessing today looks markedly different than it did throughout Scripture. Witnessing for Christ, throughout Scripture, was a natural outflow of an abundance of joy experienced by a person being saved. In contrast, our witnessing has become perfunctory and rooted in obligation rather than an outflow of our joy! When this happens we find ourselves in a dangerous place, because when we lose our joy…we lose our witness!

Witnessing is “joyfully drawing water out of the wells of salvation.” When we lose the joy of our own salvation we become ineffective. King David was a man after God’s own heart, but he too recognized the need to keep the waters stirred. Psalm 51 is the Psalm written by David after he was confronted by Nathan the prophet for committing adultery with Bathsheba. David had fallen into sin. He had lost the joy of his salvation that resulted in his witness being weakened. He cries out to God:

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”

Psalm 51:12-13

I find it interesting that once David’s witness had been jeopardized, He didn’t ask for more power to witness, more wisdom, better speaking skills, or more opportunities. He said… “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.” David recognized that it was out of the abundance of this joy he was the most effective in turning sinners back to God. As individuals and churches when we lose the joy of God’s salvation…we lose our witness.

When we believed in Christ we were filled with inexpressible and glorious joy over the salvation of our souls:

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 1:8

Some of you have lost that joy. This happens when our wells stagnate from a lack of drawing out. The only way to keep your well stirred up is to draw from it! TO WITNESS! In the Old Testament the quickest way to stop a people form flourishing was to “stop up their wells.” Just like then, our enemy today knows this! As with King David, if he can distract you from drawing from your well…keeping it stirred…soon it will stagnate.

God wants to restore to you, today, the joy of your salvation, but you are going to have to keep those waters stirred by drawing on them!



Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com

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