He's Got a Bucket

I once lived in a much more rural area. The farms that surrounded the property leached nitrogen into our local water supply. Neighbors recommended we use bottled water or water from a nearby spring for cooking and drinking. We diligently saved gallon milk jugs to collect the fresh water. At the spring, there were new jugs available for purchase, and fresh water was dispensed from the spring through several spouts. A trough collected and recycled any overflow, and there was the occasional splash or splatter just over the edge. Dented and misshapen jugs littered the nearby ground, extras left for anyone to use. The benefit of clean, fresh water from a mountain spring is something I fondly recall about those days, but the importance of having a vessel in which to put it is a lesson as old as the Bible.

In John 4, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman. Now, I wasn't quite sure whether the Samaritans were looking forward to the coming Messiah in the same way the Jews were, so I checked a few commentaries. It seems they were (and those who remain today, still are) looking for a Prophet Messiah, one with divine wisdom, more than a Messiah King. Not to jump too far ahead, but if you've ever read the account, you know Jesus revealed to this woman lots of things about her life that, unless He was divine, He would not have known. She responded by acknowledging He was a prophet. It's in those moments before all of that, though, they had a discussion about water. As she stood by the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. Now, what would you think? Here's a thirsty guy, right? Her mind went right to the water in the well. Cool, wet, clear. But she was also focused on the physical differences between this man standing before her and herself: she was a Samaritan woman, He a Jewish man. The two just didn't exchange pleasantries or anything else in their cultures, and she pointed out to Jesus the obvious contrasts. Jesus' response was to explain to her, their encounter (and, if I might add, every encounter ever had with the Son of God) was about so much more than water or physical attributes. If you knew God’s gift, that is, who it is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink of water,’ then you would have asked Him; and He would have given you living water, Jesus said to her. Her understanding of His request was terrestrial, earthly, and as a result, she judged the propriety or impropriety of His request by what --or who --she thought she saw before her. As a result, she responded by telling Him, Sir, you don't even have a bucket.

I thought back to those days at the spring. Had someone approached me and asked me for water, I would have looked at him incredulously. Had he offered me water after making such a request, I would have given him the same response as this Samaritan woman: Didn't you just ask me to draw water for you? Water is flowing from this spring, available to any who wish to draw from it, and you --with no bottle, no bucket --are telling me I should be asking you for a drink? Am I missing something?

In the chapter just before John records this encounter, he documents Jesus' meeting with Nicodemus, a Pharisee. Jesus tells Nicodemus, Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, and explains being born again means repenting of our sins and following in faith the Holy Spirit's call. Faith is the first step to better eyesight. Unless we have faith in Jesus, we can't see what He is doing; we are blind to what He is able to do. Like the woman at the well, we can only see things as they exist in the physical world: we see cultural differences, or dried up riverbeds, or empty bank accounts, or a vacant seat at the table, or a shelf full of medications, or the absence of a bucket. Rest assured, Jesus has a bucket! There is no situation that escapes His notice; there is no tribulation He has not overcome. But we are unable to see the fruits of His work without the discipline of faith. When we see things through our faith in Him and who He is, we discover those "terrible things" that happened might have been vessels necessary to teach us a valuable lesson, or the cashier who caused our delay may very well have been the vessel Jesus used to keep us from being part of the accident that occurred seconds before we left the parking lot, or the employer who unjustly fired us was the vessel used to lead us to a better job. But we must have faith first. Faith in Jesus; faith in His character; faith in His words to us. It is faith that enables us to see the bucket.

Midweek: Grow Where You Are Planted

The following was written by Heidi Gaul and printed in Guideposts' Mornings with Jesus, May/June 2023:

Rejoice always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I surveyed the lawn. Dozens of buttery-yellow flowers bore witness to my neglect. Dandelions. Some had already gone to seed, their fluffy white head teasing, as if waiting for the child in me to pull a stem and blow. I fought the temptation, despite a list of wishes I'd love to have.

I know well the trouble that comes when I fixate on desires. One hunger begets another --and another. Sonn, I'd focus on my wants. Shoes calling to me from the shop; dream vacations beckoning. There were many ways I let Jesus know His plan for me wasn't quite enough.

Had I done that too much lately? Had I forgotten the myriad blessings Jesus has already granted me? He has given me a world filled with joy and love and a treasure so vast that no amount of wishing is ever needed. Eternal life. It took root the day I found Him and will culminate when I see His blessed face in heaven.

I looked at the weed bobbing in front of me, its golden head stretched toward heaven. Dandelions grow wherever the wind takes them, thriving and spreading even in the toughest environments. They don't require coddling.

How could I be more like this sturdy weed, especially when I'm drawn by temptation? By thanking Jesus and communing with Him through prayer. By lifting my heady, heart, and hands to Him, spreading His love far and wide, just like dandelion seeds.

~ Heidi Gaul 

Are You Serious? Or Merely Intrigued?

I sat down for my quiet time. 

Ooh! Let me schedule this text real quick. 

I reread yesterday's passage (today's devotional piggy-backed off of that). 

Yesterday. Did I accomplish everything I meant to do yesterday? What should I follow up on today?

I prayed quickly for the Holy Spirit's direction in this time with Him today and opened to today's Scripture.

Oh! There's that note I made on Sunday. I was supposed to take care of that two days ago. Well, there's a thing to add to my list today.

And on it goes. Now, maybe it's the devil. Maybe he's just trying to keep me from having my quiet time with Jesus. Or maybe it's me. Our pastor says all the time --and believe you me, I agree --we are the source of most of our problems. The devil doesn't need to meddle when we do such a fine job of being lukewarm ourselves. We are distracted. We place too much faith in ourselves and our own plans. We are drawn away by concerns that are not that important and certainly not eternal. We are merely intrigued by living a Christian life. Like someone is intrigued by the idea of homesteading or scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro. Years ago, I read Into Thin Air, a gripping account of the 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest, by Jon Krakauer. I was determined, as I sat in the comfort of my warm, safe living room, that I was going to start mountain climbing. As time passed and I grew bored of reading book after book about technique and topography, I decided any sort of exploration would be just fine. Once again, as I sat on the sofa. The reality of my situation was, I had two small children and a job. Now, that's not to say, if I had wanted it badly enough, I could not have made it happen; but I really wasn't serious: I was merely intrigued. My lack of effort made that apparent.

Walking out the life Jesus purchased for us at the cross, pressing toward the mark, as Paul calls it, is not an exercise in mild curiosity --at least, not the way Scripture presents it. Galatians 2:20 says we have been crucified with Christ. Romans 12:1 urges us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. This is some pretty intense language, and not for the faint of heart. If we are not serious about the commitment we have made, Luke 9:62 says we are not fit for the kingdom of God. There's a reality check! 

Back to the mountain climbing thing. If I were to decide I was going to put on my warmest Carhartt's head on up to some lofty peak --no training, no gear, just a notion --how far do you think I'd get before critical injury? The Christian life requires similar preparation --living sacrifice, remember? We have to be more than intrigued by the principles and precepts in Scripture if we want to experience the victory that Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection obtained for us. That's going to require a lot of hard work! Thanks be to God, He is more forgiving than Pikes Peak, but the likelihood of not wearing ourselves out, hurting others, taking misstep after misstep, and eventually throwing in the towel, is high if all we are bringing to the table is a mild curiosity. If we are not willing to do the work. Allowing distraction, placing our faith in ourselves, permitting terrestrial interests to dominate the portion we are supposed to give to Jesus (once again, everything), are not the habits of a serious follower. 

The serious pursuit of a life with Jesus --however that looks, wherever He takes us, whatever He commands --begins and ends with the believer themselves. Ask yourself, am I serious about this? or merely intrigued? Do I arrive at worship on Sunday morning on time and with a heart prepared to adore Him? Have I done my Bible study homework, prayed about it, and meditated on Scripture? Am I hiding God's Word in my heart and walking in obedience? Am I ready to spend this precious time with my Master, to draw close to Him and give Him my full attention?

I encourage you, as we enter this second month of the new year, to recommit your life to Jesus. Turn up the heat and refuse to be lukewarm anymore. Get rid of those things that displease Him; surrender those things that distract you. Get serious about the work and save the intrigue for book club.