You are terribly thirsty after some hard work on a hot day. An old-fashioned well nearby invites you to be refreshed. Lowering bucket at the well’s head into the shaft you anticipate a cool drink. The water that you draw from the well sparkles in the sunlight.  Cool, clear, you feel its reviving effect.   But, imagine that as you pull the bucket back to the top of the well, you find a bucket of murky, stinking, polluted water.  The carcass of a dead animal fell into the well.  That which is hidden in the depths makes the water unusable!

There’s a spiritual application of that parable.  When we are in need of compassion, seeking for answers to the thirst of our soul we go searching. We find a person among our friends who appears to be whole. He seems to live a purposeful and godly life.  But, as we get to know the man better we discover a shallow, sensual man.  The refreshing water we expected is not there because his hear is a fouled well!  Switch it up.  You spend time with a young man who is rough on the outside, unpolished; but as you get to know him you find a depth of character, an authentic godliness that infuses you with joy, hope, and peace. Time with him is like a drink of sparkling water!

Which kind of well are YOU?  The Bible says, “guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV) What a challenge for those of us who would live in a way that is Christ-honoring! Watch what you put in your heart, and what you allow to stay in your heart, for what is hidden away there will either be refreshing or polluting, life giving or death dealing. What are you pouring into your heart?  What kind of music fills the atmosphere of your home?  What shows pour out of your TV night after night?  With whom do you choose to spend your time?  A steady diet of things that are godless, immoral, profane, or materialistic,  will pollute your heart. “Oh, come on, Jerry, I’m an adult. I can handle that stuff.”  You’re only fooling yourself if you think you are so mature or resilient that you can walk in garbage and not stink! If we consume great quantities of what flows out of our current culture, we will became a fouled well!

There’s another kind of junk that can build up in our hearts, too.  Critical words, unfair judgment, accusations- can turn our heart into a source of bitter water, brackish with self-pity, sour with cynicism. God, the Holy Spirit, can heal and remove the junk, if we allow Him, too.  It will require confession, forgiveness, and acceptance of His amazing grace. Then, too, it will require a counselor/friend to help us.

Never forget the demons that do their best to plant their poison in us! We must resist their efforts with the weapons of the Spirit.  I find that temptations, fear, and doubt tend to find me when least expected. Seemingly from nowhere, there will come resentment, or anger, or anxiety, or craving for some sensual experience!  At that moment, I know there is a choice – I can drink the polluted water or I can turn to the One who offers me Living Water.

Our Heavenly Father offers refreshing. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” (Isaiah 55:1-2, NIV)

Here’s a word from the Word to take with you today — “Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him….)” (John 7:37-39, NLT)
_____________________________

O Spirit of God
prime the well of my heart
with living water.
Help me to wisely  ‘guard the well’ so that
what overflows from my life
is a refreshing drink to those who thirst.
In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Amen